Strangers to the Sun
by RubyDracoGirl
Summary: "If there is one thing we know of the Purple Dragons, it is that they do not like to be told "no"... and they are not above attacking innocent women… or children." Set in the 2014 movieverse.
1. How Cold is a Heart?

Strangers to the Sun

A rewrite of

Sister Moon

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Author's Note:

This will be set in the new 2014 movie universe. I am starting this story a supposed 6 months after the events of Out of the Shadows, and I am basing the ages of the guys under the assumption that they were 16 in the first movie, 17 in the second movie and now 18 in this story. There will be characters from the other TMNT cartoons that I will be taking liberties with, as this is a new timeline and universe, with its own characters from different universes (aka Bebop, Rocksteady and Karai to name a few, Casey Jones, etc.), but I don't want to spoil anything, so keep your eyes peeled. There will be ONE original character, from the Original story, Sister Moon, in the mix, but I won't make her the focus, as so many of my fanfictions do. I'm trying something new, focusing on the characters that are already there. Please enjoy, and let me know how what you think. -RDG

* * *

Prelude

How Cold is a Heart?

 _14 years ago… before the Krang entered Earth's dimension…._

New York bustled about its usual busy way that early morning. Two young girls walked hand in hand to school, by themselves, as they had every day for the past year. Irma Rocksteed, mature for her 10 years, held the hand of 4-year-old Bridgette Zeck, her friend and neighbor. Bridgette happily plodded next to her tall, skinny friend, her dark eyes shining in spite of the cloudiness of that day. Irma listened quietly to Bridgette's innocent prattling, her thoughts half preoccupied with anxiety about the day ahead of her. Her violet turtleneck sweater was far too hot for the summer day, but it served a double purpose.

"Irma, can we do our homework together again? It was so much fun last night!"

"Sure, Birdie. I'd be happy to. You can come over to my house again. Owen won't be there, so we'll have plenty of peace and quiet."

Bridgette made a face.

"Our brothers are so dumb! And I hate their friends, they are so mean!"

"I know, Birdie, I know. We- we have to just ignore them, and focus on school." Irma replied with a half grin, half grimace. As a distractive method, she chuckled, "Hey, Birdie, knock, knock."

With a giggle, Bridgette chirped, "Who's there?"

"Woody."

"Woody who?"

"Woody let me in, it's freezing out here."

Bridgette giggled, "No! You stay out there!"

"Ah, that's just mean!" Irma grumped playfully. She knew her jokes were dumb, but it had Bridgette giggling and chirping in happiness, so Irma's mission was accomplished. She wished she could distract herself from this miserable life.

Her older brother, Owen, was always hanging around Anton, Bridgette's older brother, who was the same 15 years as Owen. Irma knew the both of them had dropped out of high school just recently, and they were constantly causing trouble at home and who knows where else.

School was pretty normal that day. Irma dodged bullies and knife-like words and bruising deeds while Bridgette pretended to ignore her teacher's ignorant words and careless attitudes. They banded together again after school and began the long walk home. As Bridgette and Irma quietly made their way down the sidewalk, Irma felt a familiar prickle along her neck. Someone was following them.

"Bridgette …" Irma murmured quietly.

Bridgette looked straight ahead. Irma _never_ called her by her first name.

"Run and hide in that spot I showed you. Stay there until I find you."

And with that, Bridgette took off. She was tall and leggy for a four-year-old, the fastest runner in her class. Irma looked over her shoulder finally, to face off against their stalker and her pupils dilated. The next thing she knew, she was grabbed by her ponytail and dragged into an alley…

Of course no one did a thing. No one even noticed.

Well, almost no one.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8

In an alley not far from her apartment building, Bridgette huddled in a cardboard box that was covered with a ragged blanket. Bridgette kept resolutely still, counting in her mind. She often did this when she was afraid (and she was often afraid), using numbers to distract her. It was a sort of game. She would count until she was no longer afraid, or until whatever was causing her to be afraid went away) and see how far she would get. The box she was hiding in was behind a dumpster. It was a designated safe spot that Irma had found. She was just reaching four hundred when the box lid lifted and Irma's face appeared. She was bruised and had a swollen black eye as well as a split lip. Her glasses, broken and usually held together with scotch tape, were completely gone.

"C'mon, Birdie. Let's go home."

"Irma?" Bridgette's eyes widened, tears welling in her face.

"Hush, sweetie. I'm ok. Let's get home now, before your Nana starts to worry."

Bridgette climbed out and took Irma's hand. Irma looked straight ahead, trying not to cry. She knew it would only aggravate her swollen eye and besides, Bridgette didn't need her to be weak.

She had to be strong.

Bridgette's grandmother took out a bag of ice and held it against Irma's face, murmuring to herself as Bridgette sat at the table with her schoolbooks out. She ducked her head when her brother, Anton, swaggered in.

"Damn, Irma, you look fucked up!" He snickered. Irma blushed, her lips tight as she snarled, "Anton, you and Owen are messing with the wrong people! Some loser I have never seen did this to me! He said it was because the two of you didn't hold up your end of some bargain! They would have hurt Bridgette too!"

Anton stared her down balefully, "You don't know what you're talking about, bitch." He then turned his back on them all, ignoring his grandmother's reproofs.

Irma sighed as she sat down next to Bridgette, who was busy with her reading assignment. She rarely needed help with math, but reading and writing were another story. Irma smiled as she whispered, "You're doing so well, Birdie! I'm so proud of you."

Bridgette didn't respond. Her dark eyes were locked down on her page. Irma kept the icepack on her face, her heart aching far more then her bruises and cuts. The face of her attacker was branded in her mind. The tattoo that curled around his eye… she shuddered.

It had looked like a menacing dragon; a dark, violet colored dragon.

But more then that… the events of the confrontation whirled through her head. She wondered if she had hallucinated some of it….


	2. Sharks in the Tide

Here's chapter 1, folks.

EDIT: I didn't think about it before, but this story will feature an abusive and controlling relationship. So, be warned.

Rated T for violence, language and adult themes.

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Chapter 1

Sharks in the Tide

* * *

 _14 years in the future, 6 months after the Krang attacked earth..._

Raphael raced across the rooftops, Michelangelo running alongside him, as they patrolled the city they knew and loved so much. Leo and Donnie were patrolling the west side; Raph and Mike had the east. Tomorrow night, they would take the north and south ends of New York City, as they had been doing these past months. After they had been acknowledged by New York city's chief of police as valid heroes to the city, Splinter had started allowing them to leave the lair for a few hours a night to help those they saw in need.

So far, they hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary tonight; Leo and Don had stopped a few robberies and prevented some muggings, Mikey and Raph hadn't had any butt-kickingaction, which bothered Raph immensely. The whole neighborhood was strangely quiet. Then again, perhaps that wasn't so strange, given that they had recently cowed the Foot yet again. With Shredder and Krang gone and Shredder's associates, Baxter Stockman, Bebop and Rocksteady on the run, there had been a strange peace in the city. Strange being the operative word there.

Casey Jones, having been promoted to detective in the police force, had informed them of shady dealings he had run across in his recent cases. Lower-end thugs were busy scurrying into hidey-holes like so many tiny fish in the presence of sharks. Only Casey couldn't see the sharks, and that deeply concerned him. No one was talking and no one dared to give out any information.

In other words, this lull was just the calm before the storm.

This all weighed heavily in Raphael's mind as he paused to take in the view from a particularly large building. The moon was out, full and bright, casting a glimmer across his thick scales and illuminating the shadows eerily.

"What'cha lookin' at, my brother?" Mikey drawled, crouching down on the edge of the building, ready to run again as he fidgeted. That knucklehead was always so full of energy…

"Nuthin." Raph replied as he rested his gaze on the city below. Most nights, he was able to tune Mikey out with this simple response. It was rare that he opened his thoughts to his brothers and tonight was no exception. That time at Sacks Tower when they were falling to their supposed deaths was a one-time thing.

"I wonder what April's up to." Mikey chuckled dreamily to himself, branching off to another topic that he had more interest in anyway.

"Ah, give it a rest, will ya? She's obviously not into the turtle-type." Raph groaned.

Raphael himself was starting to get over his initial crush on April, as were Leo and Donnie, who had DEFINITELY felt the same feelings that Mikey constantly prattled on about. The more cheerful turtle was relentless and completely unashamed of his feelings, unlike Donnie, Raph and Leo, who all kept their feelings to themselves for the most part. Raph only knew because of some hints he had seen clearly in their behavior that gave it away; Leo gazing a little too long at April from behind, Donnie using every excuse he could to somehow touch April's hands when handing her something.

Lingering gazes and body postures of the other two were all too easy for Raph to read, and undoubtedly vice-versa. Raph knew he had had his share of moments where he caught himself staring at April too long. He still remembered the relief at her safety that had mixed with his feelings of anger and fear when Splinter had been grievously injured and his brothers captured.

However, since she had met them, she had very consistently treated them like they were her little brothers, which gave them the message loud and clear: she _did_ love them, but only in a familial sense and nothing more.

Honestly, that was ok with Raph. Sure, it had hurt for a time, as rejection did, but he eagerly accepted her sisterly role in their family, making his small world just a little bigger. Besides that, they could see the growing affection between Casey and April, and honestly, those two were so polar opposite, they seemed made for each other. At least they no longer freaked her out; which was still somehow a cause for hope that perhaps-

-Raph shook his head of the thought immediately; returning to the real world as Mikey suddenly chirped, "Let's go check on her apartment! We're on her side of town, and-"

"Not a good idea, Mikey." Raph growled as he began to run again. Mikey caught up quickly, catching a ride on his board as he piped a protest.

"Aw, c'mon Bro! Can't we just-"

"NO."

And Raph put an extra burst of speed into his sprint. He came to a sudden stop a few streets later, breathing hard as he suddenly noticed a familiar face down on the street.

"Hey, isn't that Casey?" Mikey squinted as he came skidding to a halt next to Raph.

"Yup, it's Casey alright. What's that Jason Voorhees wanna-be doing here on this end of town?" Raph drawled irritably. He was still itching for some action.

"I don't know, my dude, but he better not be cheating on April!" Mikey growled, "I'll kick his skinny butt if he breaks her heart!"

Raph face-palmed, but before he could respond, Mikey had already taken a running leap, humming the theme to mission impossible.

"Great. Just peachy. The ol' Turtle luck runnin' true ta' form." Raphael grumped as he followed after his tenacious brother.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

The shadows clashed painfully with the neon light of the low-end bar, creating an weird, laidback and yet tense environment that few people would actually _enjoy_.

Casey walked in quietly, something that he could do, if he put his mind to it. The normally loud and brazen detective picked his way through the bar, eyes steely as he caught sight of what he was looking for… or rather, _who_ he was looking.

"Aw, c'mon, scuzzbag. You mean to tell me that you WEREN'T totally giving me some kinda indecent proposition?"

The speaker in question, the bouncer actually, had some poor scumbag by the balls, grinning lazily as the unfortunate soul tried hard to apologize and backpedal.

"Yo Angel, got a second?" Casey called out dryly.

Without looking away, "Angel" smirked, as she looked right into her victim's eyes.

"Next time, think twice before trying to grab someone's ass. Got it, asshole?"

"Y-yeah, I got it!"

"Good. Now scram."

The man tripped over himself trying to get away. Casey grinned, "Ah, how's my favorite informant?"

"Whadd'ya want, Jones?" Angel didn't even look at him as she leaned back in her seat. That was the third creep she had chased off tonight. Fucking hell.

"Take it easy. I'm just wondering if you've heard from your brother as of late." Casey put his hands up, looking at her with some concern.

Angel finally glanced sideways at Casey, her dark eyes narrowed and lips curled.

"What makes you think I'd tell you if I had?" she snorted.

"Oh, for old time's sake, you know… plus, I got incentive. I've been hearing rumors, but I've got no names to go with what I've been hearing. Be-bop and Rocksteady have been off the grid for a while now, and they're too stupid to be this good at staying under cover." Casey added as she rolled her eyes.

"Well, unfortunately I haven't actually heard from the big lug. Not since he broke out of prison and became a freak. God, he was always so stupid." She added with a frown and a shake of her head.

"Look, I know you still care about him-"

"Wrong. I stopped caring about him a long time ago. That useless piece of trash left me to take care of Nana by myself. I couldn't give a rat's ass about him."

Casey had to choke back a laugh. He had recently had a new revelation about rats…

"Alright, I get it. I do. But listen, if you get any, and I mean ANY info on him, please, give me a call, would you? I'll make it worth your while."

Angel was quiet. Casey gave her a quick look over. If anything, he had become more of a brother to her then her own brother, and right now, he could see clearly that she was looking tired, sallow and dangerous. Angel had never been one to take shit from anyone, but he could tell that her responsibilities at home were weighing on her. Their grandmother had raised her and her brother when they had been taken from their mother, and when Angel's brother had left, Angel was the one left to take care of their grandmother. But now, Angel's grandmother was passed away, and she was on her own. She had been fending for herself for a while. Hell, she was the unspoken bouncer of this bar, and she wasn't even old enough to DRINK yet… The fierce, fiery Angel was tired, and it showed in her tone of voice and subtle mannerisms.

Casey grunted and slipped a twenty-dollar bill across the table to her.

"Make sure you take care of yourself Angel. I'll see ya around." Casey got up to leave.

Angel was quiet for a moment before suddenly standing to her feet and grabbing Casey's arm.

"Jones, wait… I don't have any info on Bebop _or_ Rocksteady… but I do have something to tell you… to be honest, I was gonna find you after work."

"Oh?" Casey turned to look at her. He was shocked to see something he hadn't seen in her face in a long time…

Anxiety.

Angel, who took shit from no one, who had grown strong, determined and took everything in stride… was afraid.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8

April sat back in her chair. She bit her lip and twirled her hair around her finger.

The phone in her other hand was quiet for a moment, until her old college friend, Paloma Rodriguez, hesitantly asked, "April? You ok?"

"Yeah, I am fine, Pally. I… I just need some time to think it over."

"I understand. This is a lot for me to ask. Take your time and get back to me when you can."

"Alright. Talk to you later, Paloma."

With that, Paloma hung up and April was left to herself.

Well then. She had a decision to make. She chewed her lip as she looked around her apartment. Her roommate _had_ just moved out, and with her promotion, she _could_ use an extra hand in her field of work. But would Paloma's niece make the cut?

Paloma's niece, named Chloe, was a young woman who had been in trouble with a bad crowd for some time. She had turned a new leaf after a near brush with death, but her past associates were having none of her changed life. Things were escalating and she needed to get out of town.

April clenched her fist before dialing her "brothers".

Donnie, of course, answered promptly.

"What's up, April?"

"Hey Donnie, could I stop by the Lair? I need to discuss something with you guys."

"We're all on patrol, but should be done in about an hour. Splinter is there, I can let him know you're coming."

"That works. Thanks and see you soon."

"Later, April!"

April grabbed her jacket and boots and locked up her apartment.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8

"Dude, she's HOT…." Mikey practically drooled as he looked through the window at the girl Casey was talking to, "Dude, seriously, check her out! Is it actually possible for someone to be so cute and hot AT THE SAME TIME?!"

"You done perving out, Mikey?" Raph harrumphed, although he did have to admit, the chick was pretty hot… in a punkish, MCR sort of way. Whoever she was, it was obvious that Casey knew her, from the body language they used toward each other. In spite of the girl's intimidating appearance, she seemed strangely at ease in front of Casey.

"Who is she, though? Damn it, I wish Donnie were here, he'd probably have some sort of gadget for this." Raph grunted.

"Isn't she a little young for him?" Mikey suddenly realized, "Wait, isn't she a little too young to be in THERE?"

Suddenly a fight broke out in the bar. Two slobbering drunk idiots began taking swings at each other. The pink-haired, dusky-skinned teenager turned away from Casey and…

Raph and Mikey both stared in awe as she single-handedly took out both delinquents, gracefully hauling both of them to the door by their ears and tossing them out with a scorn on her face. "Go home and sober up, you losers!" She growled ferociously.

She walked back in and Raph realized then that Casey was laughing quietly, his shoulders shaking.

"Hmm… We definitely need to have a chat with Friday." Raph muttered as the two continued their conversation.

Suddenly, his shell cell beeped and he grunted as he picked it up, "What's up Donnie? Uh-huh? Ok, we'll be there."

He hung up and began walking away, "C'mon, Mikey, Donnie and Leo need us back at the lair."

"But-but dude!"

"Mikey, don't make me smack you! Let's go!" And Raph took a running leap.

Mikey frowned as he looked back through the window at the strange girl Casey was talking too. Her face was scrunched up and… he swore he could see glimmering tears that refused to fall from her eyes. Then he realized… He had seen those eyes before. Somewhere…

"MIKEY!"

"Coming!" Mikey tore himself away and hurled himself head long in the direction Raphael had run.

There was something oddly familiar about that girl, and he couldn't get her dark eyes out of his mind.

He had definitely seen them somewhere before.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8

The guys were all quiet as April explained the situation to them.

"An old college friend called me tonight and asked me if I could give her a favor. She has a niece, Chloe Kyle, who has run into trouble and needs a place to stay. Paloma's idea is that, since I've been promoted, I can hire Chloe as a personal assistant, which means she would work with me during the day. At night, she would have college courses, and I can meet up with you guys then, if need be. "

"We will respect your wishes, April. Just be mindful, the Foot clan is still out there. Does Paloma know that you were a target of the foot clan?" Splinter asked gravely.

"She does, but she informed me that Chloe's mom is a professional MMA fighter, and Chloe has been training with her since she was really young. Which is why she is still alive. She'll be able to defend herself, if it comes down to it. Guys, look, they have no one else to turn to. I trust Paloma's judgment on this. I owe her this."

Splinter spoke after a few minutes of silence.

"This decision is yours alone, April. Whatever you decide, we will respect your decision."

Leo spoke now.

"If it helps, maybe we could install extra security measures around your apartment. We could include a run past your part of town also, to make sure everything is normal."

Mikey grinned," I'm down to clown!"

Raph rolled his eyes," All you do is clown!"

Mikey pouted, but Donnie interjected, "If you need a roommate, this Chloe girl might be your best bet. Extra security was bound to be a necessity at some point. The Foot knows who you are, and it wouldn't be hard to track you down if they wanted to exact revenge. However, the fact you're a public figure is a major obstacle to them, so the more you work in your field, the better. Having a temp would be a step up for your status as a reporter."

Raph added," And if she's actually a fighter, it might be good for you to have her around. Speaking of which, who's her mom?"

April nodded, "They call her Denise "The Bull" Kyle. I did some research and I saw some video footage of her fight. She is… she is a brutal fighter. She loses more matches then she wins, but the wins she's got under her belt are amazing. If Chloe can fight anything like her mom, I wouldn't worry. "

Splinter nodded in agreement. April took a breath.

"Then it's settled. I'll call Paloma in the morning, and I'll keep you guys posted."

"Sounds like a plan." Leo nodded.

"Ok, who's up for a monster movie?!" Mikey broke the tension, holding up a bunch of DVDs in his hands like playing cards, a huge grin on his face. April smirked. Scary movies were a favorite thing.

Unfortunately, at that moment, Casey popped in; and he did not look happy.

"Yo Friday! What brings you to our neck of the woods?" Mikey called out cheerfully, sharing a wink with Raph.

Leo frowned as he saw the look in Casey's eyes. They had been around Casey enough to know that he often covered his worry and frustration with bluster… and there was no bluster this time. Something was up.

"Guys… I came to give you a head's up. I spoke to an old friend tonight, trying to see if I could get information on Bebop and Rocksteady and… I may have stumbled onto something."

Everyone became a little more serious at Casey's tone.

"What is it, Casey?" April inquired.

He gave her a half smirk as he soberly reported, "Well, they call themselves the Purple Dragons. It's an old gang that got stomped out by the Shredder and the Foot clan. They… they ran the underground world before the Foot Clan stepped in. But… they're back, and they are mobilizing. Now that Shredder is gone, they are recruiting. My source met one of their recruiters… and they didn't take kindly to her refusal. She barely escaped with her life. And let me tell ya, she's one tough bird. It takes a lot to intimidate her and she was scared. Scared enough to be hesitant to leak the info to me."

"Purple Dragons, huh?" Leo and Raph gave each other a sideways glance before looking over their shoulders at Splinter. He was bristling.

"Those dishonorable curs." He growled, eyes gleaming red as he stood to his feet.

"You know them?" Casey asked in mild surprise.

"I had some run-ins with them, yes." Splinter responded gravely, "Before I had learnt the art of Ninjitsu. I thank you for sharing this information with us, Mr. Jones."

"Hey, if this is all true, the NYPD are gonna need all the help they can get." Casey responded.

"Chief Vern even joked that we should get a signal for you guys… Of course, that would be a little redundant and cliché… not to mention lame. Anyways, keep your eyes open. This next year is going to be interesting. You too, April."

He suddenly frowned.

"Wait, what are you doing here April? Did you get a tip too?"

"Oh, no, this is the first I'm hearing about the Purple Dragons. I didn't know about them at all, but now that I know, I'm definitely going do some digging. You just gave me my next story" April replied with a sober grin, "I was gonna tell you later, but since you're here, I'm gonna have a new roommate soon. My college friend, Paloma, called me today from Texas asking if I could take in her niece, Chloe Kyle. She's 18, responsible and in need of a break from her family drama."

"Oh… right on." He grinned lopsidedly, "No offense, but does your friend know you were-"

"A target of the Foot clan? Yes, but Chloe has been trained by her mother, who is a professional MMA fighter. No one is worried about Chloe's personal safety."

"Huh. Ok then."

Casey saw the Dvds in Mikey's hands and grinned, "Hey, you guys gonna watch some classic horror? Sweet!"

"Yeah, we were thinking Friday the 13th." Raph grinned predatorily.

"Oh for crying out-Very funny, you guys!" Casey grumbled, "As much as I'd like to stick around, I gotta get back to the station. April, you heading home? I can walk you back."

April considered it. She did like Casey… and she did have a story to prepare for.

"Thanks Case. Sorry guys, I need to get going."

"Ok, be careful you two." Donnie grinned, giving them both a knowing wink.

"Aw, you guys are no fun." Mikey pouted.

"Maybe some other time, Mikey." April smiled kindly as she grabbed her purse.

As the two humans turned to leave, Leo called out, "Casey wait… are you sure your source is reliable?"

Casey turned back, a certain defensive fire in his eyes.

"Absolutely she is."

Leo frowned as he considered Casey's words, but he made no motion to continue the conversation.

As soon as April and Casey left, Mikey turned to Raph, his blue eyes wide, "Dude, that girl! That girl we saw is Casey's friend! This is insane! How would such a hot girl know Bebop and Rocksteady?!"

"What girl?" Leo asked suspiciously, as the rest of the family turned their gaze onto Raph and Mikey.

Raph groaned. "Nice going Mikey. Now we gotta play twenty questions with Fearless here."

"Dude, it's no biggie! We weren't seen! Leo, dude, when Raph and I were patrolling, we saw Casey go into this bar! It was nasty-lookin' as heck! Anyways, we found a window where we could spy on him, and we saw him talking to this super hot girl! I thought maybe he was cheating on April, but she looked way too young for him, and more importantly, she was so not into him! You could tell! And then this bar fight broke out and she put a stop to it by totally kicking major butt like a total bombshell badass! So Raph and I figure she must be a bouncer or something, even though she looks like she's ultra underage. Anyway, she's gotta be super awesome if the Purple Dragons tried to recruit her! Um, right?"

Everyone was quiet for a moment as they processed Mikey's epiphany.

"Wow, Mikey, you came up with a theory that was actually really smart...if everything you just said is true." Donatello whistled with a note of awe. It was rare that Mikey was so coherent… if that was even the proper word for what just happened.

"It is. Knucklehead wasn't the only one there. That chick looked like a death threat." Raph confirmed.

"Did you get her name?" Leonardo asked.

"Naw, dude, we didn't get a chance to talk to Casey, and we couldn't hear anything that they said." Mikey replied grumpily.

Leo frowned, "You two took a risk spying on Casey… but it looks like you were smart about it. Well done."

Raph rolled his eyes, "Life is a risk, Leo. We can't always play it safe, and you know that. Mikey and I were careful. No one saw us."

Splinter spoke up, "This young woman may need protection. If there is one thing we know of the Purple Dragons, it is that they do not like to be told "no"... and they are not above attacking innocent women… or children. From now on, I want you all to run by the bar at the end of your patrol. Make sure she gets home safely. But do so _carefully_. She must not know of your presence."

"Yes master." The four chorused.

Donatello added, "I can set up some security cameras too, so we can monitor her work environment for Purple Dragon activity.

"Are we not going to talk about the fact that the Purple Dragons are back?" Raph burst out heatedly, "Those jokers almost killed us, way back when, hell, they beat Splinter within an inch of his life! We should take them out now before they get a chance to grow!"

"Calm down, Raphael. Back then; we were all young, and still learning our place in the world. We are wiser now, stronger, and more prepared for the likes of them. We must be prudent and cautious in how we deal with those fiends." Splinter spoke, his eyes gleaming with unpleasant memories.

"Make no mistake, Raphael. We will deal with these thugs… but at the right time. We must not repeat our mistakes. Now, I want you all to get some rest. We will continue training tomorrow."

"Yes, master." The four split up.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Angel looked around cautiously as she left the bar once the last customers were out. She had been pretty lucky when she landed this job. Since she was underage as a drinker, her title as bouncer was off the books, but she was good at what she did, so the bar owner cut her some slack.

Besides, often times, she was able to diffuse situations without her fists, making her a valuable asset. Dangerous as it was, she was developing a reputation that allowed her to be largely left alone. Well, until recently, that is. She ground her teeth as she hit the streets, pulling her collar up around her neck and shoving her cap further down her forehead, hiding her pink hair. The representative of the Purple Dragons had been… extremely persistent. Not to mention… he seemed to know way too much about her. As if he knew her… or knew someone that knew her.

She snorted as these thoughts knocked around her head. Almost without really knowing, she wound up in front of her destination… an apartment door. She knocked loudly and without fear. Since losing her Nana to a slow and painful fight with cancer, Angel had felt less and less of, well, anything really. It made dealing with all the shit she came across daily way easier.

The door swung wide open and a glowering face met her steely gaze.

"Yeah?" Jackson Reid sneered.

"I need to talk to Irma Rocksteed. I know she lives here." Angel replied gruffly.

"Ja-Jackson? It's ok, I can talk to her-" Angel heard Irma's voice from somewhere in the apartment. She glowered as she heard the quavering, mousy quality in her old friend's voice. Irma hadn't always spoken like that…

"YOU shut your damn mouth, woman!" Jackson hissed over his shoulder. He turned back on Angel.

"You'll have to leave a message."

Angel looked at him for a while before smirking without lowering her gaze.

"I know who you are. You're the No-See-Em. I know lots of people who know you, Jackson Reid. I know every dirty deal you've had a hand in and I know all the times you turned a blind eye to all the hate crimes that go down on Eastman and Laird Street. Now let me talk to my goddamn friend!"

Jackson met her gaze and with a slow smirk, replied, "Huh… too bad you don't know ALL my dealings, _Bridgette Zeck._ "

Angel stiffened at the use of her birth name; her dark eyes glaring holes into his face as he smirked, "Irma's not under my thumb just for her blowjob skills. If I were you, I'd give the Purple Dragons a little more respect."

Angel huffed, puffing out her chest, she ground her teeth, hissing, "You so much as lay a finger on Irma, I'll-"

"Ah-ah-ah, for one, it's too late for that. Second, sweetie, they're watching you. Right now. Now, do me a favor and get lost. More importantly, they're waiting for you. You go a week without speaking to them, they'll never find her body."

He hissed this last bit, flecks of saliva hitting Angel's face.

She stood, stone-faced, as her situation crashed down around her ears.

Without another word, she turned and left. Jackson chuckled darkly. He felt a hard-on coming stiff and urgent from the rush of authority and power he felt.

As he closed, the door, he turned to see Irma peering from around the corner, her big green eyes hesitant and fearful.

"W-who was it, Jack?"

"No one, sweetie. Damn you're looking hot. C'mere…" He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in for a rough kiss.

Irma gave in eagerly, happy to take the positive attention he was bestowing on her.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

As April walked with Casey, she suddenly fixed her gaze on him.

"Casey, I need to ask you something off topic."

"Sure, toots."

"Haha, don't call me that." April took in a breath.

"I have a neighbor who's got a live in boyfriend. He's a cop, named Jackson Ried. Do you know him?"

"Hmm…" Casey frowned. That name rattled around his head before a gruff, unfriendly face came to mind.

"Yeah, he's kinda a douche nozzle. That creep lives next door to you?"

"I believe so. You see… I think he's abusing my neighbor. She's started to noticeably only wear long sleeves, and she's become a lot more withdrawn then she used to be. My old roommate used to be friends with her, which is why I've noticed the change in her behavior. Plus… I've heard Jackson yell at her through the walls a few times. I've gone to check on her, and every time I've done so, he answers the door and refuses to let me see her."

Casey frowned.

"Has she called the police?"

"No, I don't think so. I've only seen her a few times since he showed up, and she always explains it away."

Casey sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I hate to say it, but unless she says or does something, there's not much we can do."

April stiffened. Her eyes blazed.

"Well, then I guess I'll have to find another way. He may be a cop, but there's no way he's clean."

"April, stay away from him. I'll do some digging for you, find out if he's clean. You focus on being careful, ok?"

"Casey, it's me. I'm always careful." April smirked, her blue eyes twinkling merrily.

"That's not the impression I got when I saved your cute butt, Princess."

"Call me another gross pet name and I'll kick YOUR butt, Jones." She threatened as they stopped in front of her apartment building. She paused and looked up at him.

"Jones… What can you tell me about the purple dragons? Why have I never heard of them before?"

Casey blew out his breath, looking up at the sky.

"That is a long story, April."

"If you have time, we can sit in my kitchen." She offered quietly.

"You sure that's, uh, appropriate, Miss O'Neil?" He winked.

She blew him a raspberry, chuckling as she shook her finger at him, "You make a move on me and I will personally remove your "hockey stick"."

"Ouch, duly noted." Casey laughed, slightly nervously now as they walked into her apartment building.


	3. Hell-Spawn Princess

Welcome to Chapter 2, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2

Hell-Spawn Princess

Elsewhere in the world…

"Miss Oroku, are you sure-"

"It's fine, Gigi! I have made up my mind that I wish to go home for the summer! It has been a while since I have seen my family, and I am old enough now that this decision should not rest entirely with my father. I have hopes and dreams too!" The young woman scolded her caretaker with a sweet, sugary smile.

Gigi Pastel sighed, knowing that she might get fired for this, but at the same time, she knew how much her young charge longed to see home. Not to mention the fact that her employers had seemed to almost forget entirely about their daughter, having sent no instructions for her this summer.

So, she pushed her glasses firmly onto her face and nodded," Buckle up, my cherry blossom. I'm taking you home!"

8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Back in Japan, Karai waited impassively beside a grand piano, every now and then looking out the window. The cherry trees were in full bloom, and she almost wistfully wished for better times. Her heart hardened as she remembered the source of her nostalgia and her fists clenched with determination and purpose.

The door burst open and Baxter Stockman came stumbling in, flanked uncomfortable by two Foot soldiers.

"Mi-mistress Karai!"

She smirked, her red lips pulling back as she crossed her arms, glaring at the man whom she held partially responsible for the disappearance of her master.

"Mr. Stockman. So good of you to join me."

"I, uh, I suppose you want my report?"

"That is a correct assumption. Tell me; have you made any progress on locating our master?"

"I, uh, I have! The-the residual energy from the teleportation event has dissipated very slowly, allowing me to study it and-"

"To the point, Stockman!"

"Y-yes, well, I have determined that, if I can recalibrate the teleportation machine, it should be easy to trace the residual energy and follow it to its end path, and thus, we can trace Master Shredder's location at the moment that they teleported."

"Very well. You must do so at once! Now then, tell me… how are our "specimens?"

"They are showing vast improvements, Mistress! They are displaying higher intelligence along with super-human speed and strength. Th-the prototypes pale in comparison, b-but! They may still prove useful, as decoys. I propose-"

"-I did not ask for you opinion, Stockman." Karai coldly reprimanded him.

At that moment, there was a loud roar, like an engine, and then a squealing stop and the sound of slamming doors, which rocked the grand house.

"What was that?!" Karai demanded.

Before anyone could respond properly, a teenage girl dressed in a modest school uniform suddenly burst in, her appearance neat and tidy and her face mischievously joyous.

"Hello everyone! I am home!" She paused when she realized that the only person she recognized was Karai. Her eyes widened.

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting-"

"Niko!" Karai snarled, bristling with shocked fury.

The teen girl giggled somewhat nervously, "Mother! I am so happy to see you! How long has it been, almost a year, since I last saw you?"

Stockman gaped, like a fish out of water. Karai… had a daughter? The young woman was tall, nearly taller then her own mother, lithe, pale and hair dark as midnight. She was a real beauty.

Karai looked at her hell-spawn coldly, "You were not summoned home. Are you incapable of following the simplest of directions?"

Niko was silent, her face falling. Her eyes moistened before sharpening and she stood firm, her fists clenched.

"Need I remind you, mother, that I have been gone from this house for seven years? That, in all that time, I have only seen you days at a time? You don't get to scold me for not following your orders when you don't even know me anymore."

At this, there was a deadly silence, as the two women locked eyes. Karai hissed, "Leave us."

The room instantly became empty except for mother and daughter.

Niko gazed defiantly and coldly at her mother, her red lips pulling into a sneer.

"I always wondered what I would have to do to get your attenti-"

"Niko, your father is gone."

The words sliced through Niko's self-importance like a hot knife through butter. Her breath hitched at the improbability of the words.

"No. Mother, don't -"

"If you speak to me out of turn again, you will be sent away Niko. Now listen carefully to me, if you are able." Karai hissed coldly.

Niko was shocked enough that she stayed mute for Karai's tale, her mind racing with each fact and plot twist. Karai told her of the attempt at breaking her father out of prison, the teleportation device, the mutagen, the inter-dimensional being known as the Krang and… the opposing figures that had stood in her father's way before. That nosy reporter, the failed detective, a dim-witted camera man... and five mutant freaks.

Niko clenched her fists, her eyes stony and full of bitterness, as she growled, "So, the Foot clan is falling apart in New York? And meanwhile, we sit and grasp for our old leadership like lost children? What would he think of you?"

Karai snarled, "How dare-"

"No, mother. You are too close to your emotions, and you are not thinking properly. The New York branch was Father's pride, as you well know. If, no, _when_ he returns, he will be angry, not pleased, that you let his empire crumble."

Karai wanted to slap her daughter.

So she did.

Or rather, she _tried_.

Niko ducked, grabbing her mother's hand with incredible speed as she snarled, "You know I am right! No wonder father was always so displeased with you! Displeased with ME, for being tainted with your failure!"

Niko pushed her mother away and took a fighting stance. She knew her words would incite rage inside the older woman, but at the same time, her mind was jumping. Her father needed her, and as much as her mother was a failure, he needed all his servants to work together. They had to. If he came back to find his empire in ruins, there would be an equal hell to pay.

Just as Niko suspected, her words had ignited a spark and the fire of rage burned like hell's inferno within Karai. The older woman flew at her daughter, striking the first blow, which Niko allowed, using her school bag to take the brunt of the blow. Karai followed her strike with a high kick, eyes blazing like those of a demon.

Niko dodged the kick easily with a half-smirk. She hadn't expected that this moment would come so soon. As much as her parents had isolated her, they had more then made up for it in her education. Her father's own sensei had been training her, and she had eagerly advanced in her martial arts skills. The time for hesitation was over. It was time to show her mother just how much she had grown.

Despite being in her high-school uniform, Niko's movements weren't slowed down at all as she faced off against her mother in combat.

Karai, though impassioned and more then furious, slowly became impressed with her daughter's movements. All at once, Karai was forced to the ground, in a move that had her head spinning.

 _It was just like him…_

"Are you listening to me now, mother?" Niko asked quietly.

"Hai. I am listening."

Niko took her knee away and held a hand out. Karai considered her before taking her hand.

They looked into each other's eyes and Karai bowed her head.

"You have been taught well, and it seems that you have grown in ways I was unaware of. Now tell me, daughter, what would you have me do? Our enemies surround us, and your father is in a place we cannot follow."

Niko crossed her arms, smiling cheekily, "First off, let's get lunch! I traveled all the way from Tokyo this morning without breakfast. As Master Tatsu always says, "Never make important decisions on an empty stomach!" She paused and put a hand to her chin thoughtfully, "Wait, no, that is what I am always saying! But! Sensei has never disagreed! So I must be correct!"

Karai looked into her daughter's dark eyes and smiled ruefully. Yes, her daughter had grown, but she was still a child. Still, there was wisdom in her words, and Karai took a breath, to calm her spirit.

"Very well. We will have lunch and then, we shall set our plans in motion."

"Excellent!" Niko giggled.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Baxter Stockman was unusually quiet that afternoon, as he worked tirelessly in analyzing, writing formulas, calculating and correcting his subordinates. Ordinarily, he would be loudly narrating his own actions and proudly boasting of his genius.

But today, he could not.

No.

He had placed bugs all over the mansion when he could, so he could record and listen in on conversations that didn't involve him. The revelation that Oroku Saki had a child plagued him… and such a mature, smart young woman too, unlike her mother, and perhaps even her father.

He was even now listening to the conversation she and her mother were having over lunch, the plans for New York they were talking of. Niko was passionate about her father's work, ambitious even, but loyal to her father above all. This was evident in the stratagems she was offering.

Stockman stroked his mustache, as he considered how he could use the information to his advantage. As much as he hated them, Bebop and Rocksteady had become his only true allies here. They supplied him with whatever information and protection they could give while he… supplied other things to them. They were dumb enough to be grateful for whatever slightest amenities he could provide them with. The only thing he had not been able to provide for them was too crude for him to even think of at this moment, yet they brought it up every time he went to speak to them. Today would probably be no different, but still, Baxter knew he was going to need their help, if he was going to get on Miss Oroku's good graces.

Baxter had become well aware of the activity in New York. The Foot branch was withering there at this very moment while an older, forgotten organization was slowly growing, choking out the Shredder's former kingdom.

Baxter stroked his chin as he finished up another important formula and told his assistants that he would be back. Although he was kept under strict watch, Baxter was rich enough to pay off a few guards, so he could speak fairly freely to Bebop and Rocksteady, just so long as he was able to stay ahead in his work and research.

The two first human-turned mutants were kept in a separate holding cell all to themselves and separate from the other test subjects. They were both in the middle of eating a plentiful meal when Baxter showed up.

"Hey Four-eyes, how's it hanging?" Bebop greeted jovially. He winked as he pointed to the tv and Xbox in the corner, "Thanks a lot for the video games! It really helps pass the time. Uh, by the way, doc, do you know when we're getting out of here?"

"It may be soon. Listen, I need to ask you questions."

"You always come around to ask questions." Rocksteady grumped, standing to his full height as he snarled, "You've been making promises you can't keep. We haven't seen a single woman in years! "

"Yeah, this ain't exactly a great place to get a date." Bebop crossed his arms, "We got needs, man!"

"As much as I wish I didn't, I am well-aware of your physical needs, believe me." Stockman snapped, "The need to breed is biological, and is ingrained in all living things, so it's only natural, I suppose. Now listen closely. I can't get you what you want right now, however, I think I can get you guys back in New York. But in order for that to happen, I need to know something; what was the name of the gang you were first affiliated with?"

Bebop and Rocksteady looked at each other. They backed away from Stockman and put their heads together, whispering loudly. Baxter heard about half their conversation, but said nothing. He had gotten used to this. At the end of it, they ginned and high-fived each other.

"My man!"

"My man!"

They turned back and Bebop carried on the conversation.

"We worked for a gang called the Purple Dragons. They were crumbling however, when we first joined, but man, that gang was old school and hard core! They lynched the police that opposed them, ran a prostitute ring, had the drug cartel licking their boots, and you know what else? They really managed the hell out of the chaos that was New York. But then the Shredder stepped in and stomped them out."

"Good, good, that is exactly what I needed. Your affiliation with the Purple Dragons is your ticket out of here. Trust me boys, within a few weeks, you'll be back in the Big Apple, popping proverbial cherries and taking names!"

"Ooh, I love cherries! Especially on ice cream!" Bebop h'yucked.

Baxter rolled his eyes as his innuendo went right over their heads.

"Yes, well, I must get back to work. Keep your chins up, boys!"

"You got it, doc!"

As Baxter left, Rocksteady look at Bebop.

"You sure that was a good idea, man? Telling him about the Purple Dragons?"

"Dude, if it gets us out of here, then yes, it is totally worth it. I'd rather deal with that hockey-masked freak and those goddamn turtles then stay here with my thumb up my ass." Bebop grunted.

Rocksteady sat down heavily, his grey eyes clouding over as he mumbled, "Hey, Beebs?"

"Yeah buddy?"

"… Do you ever think about Bridgette?"

Bebop snorted, "Naw man. She's fine! And besides, she's got Irma to look after her! I'm sure they are both fine."

The warthog mutant scratched his head, ignoring the ache in his chest as he added vehemently, "They were always better off without us, you know? All we ever did was bring them trouble. Hell, remember how Irma almost got killed cause we tried to get her into the gang? I thought she'd be good, being so smart and all. Sharkey said he needed a hacker, and she was the only one we knew who could pull it off."

"Y-yeah… I still wanna find that guy and kill him." Rocksteady growled, grinding his teeth. He smirked, "If we ever get back to the big apple, let's pay our old bosses a visit. We can really do some damage this time!"

"Yeah! Let's do it for Bridgette and Irma!" Bebop agreed. Both mutants fell silent, as they contemplated their younger sisters. Bebop didn't like the atmosphere. It was making his stomach hurt. No wait…

"Hey Rock."

"Yeah?"

Bebop then inhaled before giving an earth-shattering belch that instantly filled the room with gaseous stink, relieving the pressure in his stomach and the emotional tension in the air.

"WHAT THE FUCK, YOU BASTARD!" Rocksteady howled with laughter, forgetting his more serious thoughts.

"My MAN!" Bebop roared happily.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Niko sighed with relief as she finally entered her old room to rest for the night. She threw herself on her bed, her body aching.

After a few moments, she stood resolutely, walking to her window, she looked out over the countryside, gazing up at the stars, she vowed, "Father, I won't fail you. We will bring you back, and we will restore your kingdom while you are gone. I swear it."

She then looked to the west and a smirk crawling over her lips.

"New York, I am coming for you."

* * *

I will ignore flames, however, constructive criticism is appreciated. I try to proofread my own work as much as possible, but there's always some spelling error or grammar error that I miss on occasion.


	4. Constellation of Tears

AN: I just wanted to thank those who are reading this! I hope you are enjoying the story so far. :)

* * *

Chapter 3

A Constellation of Tears

A few days later, early afternoon….

Once morning training had been accomplished, the brothers dispersed, Raph to work on his motorcycle (newly claimed after a run in with a violent biker gang), Leo to look through some books on strategy, and Mikey a few steps behind Donatello to his computer lab.

"Hey, isn't today the day that April gets her new roommate? The one with the MMA mom?"

Donatello looked at him a little blankly, the question pulling him away from his thoughts on his latest technological projects as he realized, "Oh yeah, that's right. Good thing we already set up surveillance. Guess we'll have to do a test run of it tonight. I've been so busy with the surveillance for Casey's friend, I forgot."

"Who did April say her mom was again? Like, what was her name?"

"Um, something "The Bull"."

"She's supposed to be a crazy good fighter, right?"

"Mikey, how should I know?"

"Hmm... Good point. You don't really watch a lot of UFC fights... Hey look her up!"

"What?" Donatello raised a brow-ridge at his brother.

"The roommate's mom, Dude! Look her up! C'mon, please?" Mikey begged.

"No, Mikey, that's stupid. And besides, I've got a million other things to do!" Donatello huffed as he sat back in his chair.

"No it's not! Let's see what kind of fighter she is, so we can actually, um, see if Chloe will be a good fighter!"

In spite of the fact that Don knew Mikey was bluffing, the logic was surprisingly sound.

"I know you just want to perv out, but for once, you make a good point, Mikey."

"Duh! I'm a genius, bro!" Mikey grinned.

"Well, I wouldn't go THAT far…" Donatello muttered under his breath as he began his web search, typing in Desiree "The Bull".

Mikey and Donnie both stared in shock at the image that came up.

"Dude… Milf aler-OW!"

Donatello reached over and flicked Mikey over the head as his brother began perving out, but for once, he had to agree.

Desiree was captivating. Piercing hazel-green eyes gazed confidently out on the world from her face, her tan skin glistened with the sweat of her hard work and her fighting stance was loose and ready.

Despite being small chested, she was pleasingly thick in all the right places, muscle and fat working in perfect feminine harmony; her face was heart-shaped, like a doll's… but there was nothing delicate in her tough, piercing features. She had a scar over her brow, which added to her intimidating stare.

"Dude… you think April's roommate looks like that?!" Mikey whispered, but Donatello wasn't listening anymore. He was frowning as he read the news article beneath the picture.

"She's dead." He stated flatly.

"What did you say?"

Leo came up from behind, frowning. He had been eyeballing his two younger brothers from across the room in mild interest when Mikey started heckling Donnie, but now, his attention was fully invested.

"According to this, Desiree "The Bull" Kyle died 6 months ago. She left her belongings to her husband and her four children… she had an adopted daughter, that's Chloe, the girl who's rooming with April."

Silence.

"Wait, why didn't April tell us that?" Mikey asked, knitting his brows as he crossed his arms.

"I would presume she doesn't know. She said she really trusts her friend, and she probably took her friend's word at face value." Donatello frowned, troubled. "But why wouldn't they tell April?"

Raph had joined them by this time, his face growing darker and darker, "I swear, if this is some elaborate plot against April, there's gonna be a butt-load of hell to pay!"

"I… don't think that's what this is." Donatello murmured as he continued researching, pulling up various articles. He frowned.

"Wait... Desiree and Chloe were sisters. Their parents died, and Chloe was adopted by her older sister, but not her sister's husband. It… doesn't look like Chloe was given the option to stay with her family." He was running another search and pulled up an image from 5 years ago. In the picture, Desiree stood proudly with what they assumed to be her family; four young boys, her sons presumably, and a Hispanic man, (her husband,) stood to her left. On her right was the living embodiment of puberty gone wrong. A thirteen-year-old Chloe smiled painfully, braces covering her teeth and thick-framed glasses reflecting the camera flash, so they couldn't see her eyes. She was the spitting image of her older sister… if her sister was short, fat and full of acne.

Raph made a face as they saw the sad-looking adolescent, grim and disgusted. "Is that… the girl who's gonna be rooming with April?"

"It would appear so." Donatello confirmed. Really, Chloe was just as unimpressive as her sister was impressive.

The brothers looked at the photo one more time before Mikey piped up," Hey! It was taken five years ago! A lot can happen in five years! I mean, just look at Raph! We all thought he was going to be short and dumb forever! Well, he's still kinda dumb, but you get what I mean!"

Raphael growled as he looked down on his younger brother, reaching out to grab him, but Mikey had already stepped out of reach grinning cockily as he snickered, "Ooh, what'cha gonna do, bro? I'm just too fast for-GAH! NO! STOP!"

Raphael took a running leap and Mikey had just barely managed to duck out of the behemoth turtle's way, running like a bat out of hell from Raphael, who was determined to pummel his brother good this time.

Leo and Donnie ignored the two as they continued to puzzle.

"Chloe's arriving today, isn't she?"

"Yep. If her flight was unaffected by the storm, she'll be here within a few hours."

"Should we tell April about her… "mom"?"

Donatello frowned. "There has to be a reason they didn't share that information, right? The question is… what sort of reason? Is it personal? Are they trying to endanger April? Or are they-" His eyes narrowed as he turned back to his monitor, typing in a new search.

"AhHA!"

An article that had been retracted came up.

Leo's eyes widened and Mikey gaped.

"No way! Did… did Chloe… murder her own sister?"

"According to this, she was acquitted of suspicion. That would explain why Desiree's husband didn't want her around though." Donatello theorized as he quickly read through the article.

Leo glared holes at the picture of the middle school girl.

"Call April. She needs to know."

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Chloe Kyle ducked her head down, only shyly peering from the cab window every once in a while to get a look at her new surroundings. Even though it was her first time in New York, both dread and a sense of numbness still lingered in her heart.

Slowly, relief at the distance between her and her problems began to pique her bravery and she took to gazing in interest at the outside world.

The buildings seemed to go on forever into the evening sky, lights of neon and flashing screens made her feel as though she had jumped forward into the future.

She gave a sigh of disappointment at the end of the ride as the cab pulled in front of an old apartment building. It was a nice sort of old appearance; almost antique looking. Chloe hopped out, grabbing her suitcase and shouldering her giant backpack as she gave a smile to the cab driver.

"Thanks for the lift. I hope you have a good day, Samuel!"

"Same to you." the taxi driver grumped. Chloe nodded tersely as she paid her fare, grabbed her luggage and stepped to the building.

A pause. Her stomach flopped uncomfortably and she grit her teeth. Her reflection stared back at her from the glass door with a nervous smile. Chloe still saw her middle school self. Weak, flat chested, overweight and covered with painful acne.

It didn't help that her aunt Paloma was gorgeous, tall, and hourglass shaped and a master at make up. Chloe couldn't even muster the artistic ability to try to enhance or hide her features.

"N-no! That's not who I am anymore!" Chloe muttered to herself, standing a little taller, giving her reflection a stern glare as she took a deep breath and blew it out in an attempt to get her self-esteem under control. The small, ugly girl in the reflection vanished briefly, replaced by Chloe as she was. She was no model, she didn't have a tiny waist or big boobs (heck, she was the QUEEN of the itty-bitty-titty-committee), but she was strong and more importantly… she was her mother's daughter...

"I can do this… I won't let you down, Dezzy." She scratched nervously at the fingerless gloves she wore before grabbing onto her suitcase and stepping to the building to meet her new roommate/boss.

Chloe had a feeling that April was probably going to look just like her aunt Paloma… super model looks and hourglass shaped body…

8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Sure enough…

"Hi, you must be Chloe!" April smiled as she answered her door, greeting her new roommate.

"Hello, Ms. O'Neil. Again, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I honestly don't know what I would have done."

April took in the sight of her new roommate/intern, shocked at just how much like her mother she looked. They looked so much alike; they could have been sisters... Although that made sense…

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

(flashback two hours ago, over a phone conversation)

"Guys, I'm sorry! I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry." April defended, kicking herself for not saying anything sooner.

She had known about Chloe's past. The poor girl had been falsely accused of killing her adopted parent, after a brilliant victory in the ring that Desiree had had. The investigation had been closed as unsolved, and Desiree's husband had viciously tossed Chloe out on the street.

"April, I thought you trusted us?" Donatello asked in confusion. He had April on Speaker, so that they could all talk to her, and she to them.

"I do, guys, I trust you, but I know you too! I mean, how many times have you followed me out when I have gone on dates with Casey? Too many times to count!" April scolded without giving them a chance to reply, "The point is, you guys can be overbearing. I'm grateful for your help and your protection, but sometimes, I just want to feel like I can do things on my own. I don't like feeling like a teenager again." She added.

There was silence and April sighed, feeling guilty. "You're right though. I should have told you. I'm sorry I withheld that information. But look, from now on, I'll be one hundred percent honest. I promise."

"We're sorry too, April." Leo spoke. "We just… you're part of our family. We don't want to lose you."

"You're not gonna lose me, guys." April smiled. "I'll always be there for you. No matter what. Now listen to me. I've already done my research. Chloe is clean. And from what Paloma told me, she's hurting bad. She was very close to Desiree, and she's taking her death hard. I… know what that;s like, and I want to help her."

"Ok April. We understand. Just… please be careful and if you need ANYTHING, please tell us." Leo responded.

"Thanks guys."

(end flashback)

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

"Really, thank you so much." Chloe reiterated awkwardly, gripping her suitcase tighter as April smiled kindly.

"No, thank you. It will be nice to have someone here to help out. My old roommate couldn't handle my crazy. And please, call me April." April laughed slightly awkwardly in return.

Chloe grinned, April's laidback attitude making her forget about her anxiety and poor self-esteem for a moment. "Well you're in luck! Crazy is my middle name."

"We'll get along fine then." April chuckled. "Here, come in. I'll show you around."

"Thanks." Chloe hauled in her suitcase, looking around quickly like a nervous bird. She noted the cheerful colors on the walls and the comfy furniture.

"Um, is this neighbor ok for joggers?"

"Yeah, people jog around here."

"Oh good." Chloe sighed with a relief. She added, "I like to go running in the early mornings, but I'm really quiet when I get ready to go."

"No problem. Just be careful when you do. I mean, this neighborhood is pretty safe, but you never know."

"Yes ma'am-" Chloe stopped and stared. The view of the city from the window took her breath away. The lights reminded her of Christmas and it was stunning.

April smiled.

"Yeah, that's the reason I chose this place. That view."

"I've never seen anything like this. San Antonio isn't small, but holy moly…"

"I never understood why Paloma moved to Texas. Isn't it full of-"

"Cattle, cowboys and cactus? Not so much in San Antonio." Chloe laughed, "I grew up in the city, but yeah, there's cows and stuff in odd places. Rattlesnakes on the outskirts and in the tall grass."

April made a face.

Chloe winked.

"I'm sure there's snakes around here too. I bet they're harder to spot, huh?"

"Yes and no." April replied, catching on to Chloe's double meaning, "Here's your room. My previous roommate did a good job of cleaning up after herself."

"At least there's that." Chloe nodded. "Did she really move out because of you?"

"Afraid so."

"What was it you did?" Chloe asked with a quirked brow, "I know first impressions aren't everything, but you seem cool."

"Well, it wasn't so much me as it was my job. She didn't like how I get when I'm onto a good story, which I assure you, is nothing short of obsession."

"Well, we'll be working together, I guess we'll have to be crazy together." Chloe smiled brightly. Though she was intimidated by April's beauty, the reporter's kind and easy-going manner put her at ease. Maybe this would be fun. But even if it wasn't, it was far better then where she had come from.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

As Angel got off her shift, she looked around nervously. She hadn't run into any more Purple Dragon thugs… but lately, her guts screamed at her that she was being watched.

That it was only a matter of time before they made a move on her. With a low huff, she walked home, listening uncomfortably to her instincts as they whispered to her, "Eyes follow you… eyes follow you from the shadows…."

Angel frowned. She had told herself that Irma didn't matter. That Irma had left her, just like everyone else. Her heart squeezed as she remembered all the times that Irma HAD been there for her. Had protected her, had gotten beaten within an inch of her life so that Angel would be safe-

FUCK

She knew tonight was her last night to make a decision. She would confront the assholes following her. She would make a deal with the devil to save Irma's soul.

At least for now, until she could figure some other way to keep Irma safe. That nerd had saved her multiple times when they had been kids, and sure, Irma had taken off, but really… looking back now, Angel realized she never could have asked Irma to stay with a clear conscience.

Not with the hell that Irma had been going through.

However, it would have been nice to have not been alone when her Grandmother left.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

Mikey and Leo very silently followed Angel on her way to her house. As quiet and well hidden as they were, Angel took a different route home… again. She had done this every day since they had started making sure she got home safely…

…Which told Leo that she must somehow know or sense that she was being followed. It didn't hinder their task at all; no matter what route she took, it was easy to keep track of her from the rooftops without her seeing them.

But the fact that she knew bothered Leo to no end.

He had always prided himself on being the most advanced of his brother in ninjitsu, and yet, whether he was taking the lead in walking her home or not, she always seemed to be aware that she was being followed. Although perhaps, with the Purple Dragons looming over her head, that was just as well. It didn't help that every chance he got, Mikey would drool over her.

"Bro, she's wearing fishnet stockings. OH MY GOD." Mikey suddenly wheezed as she paused under a streetlight before hurrying on, giving them a good look at her get up.

"Can we focus, please!?" Leo hissed angrily, trying to keep the blush spreading from under his mask to reaching his cheeks.

Oh, he had noticed.

He had definitely noticed those super hot fishnet stockings that barely covered her toned mocha chocolate legs. Her big, leathery jacket prevented them from seeing much else of her, but that was probably for the best. They couldn't afford distractions… especially since, for once; she seemed to actually have company.

"Mikey… we're not the only ones following her tonight."

"Oh hell naw, they ain't getting my baby girl! It's so on!" Mikey chuckled darkly, as Leo gave him a puzzled look.

"Since when did she become your baby girl?"

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

Chloe grinned eagerly as she noticed a Mr. Coffee Machine on the kitchen counter.

"Thank goodness you have one of those. I have a serious caffeine addiction."

"Use it all you like. The coffee grounds are in the cabinet above the coffee maker."

Chloe smiled," Thanks! Mind if I brew a cup right now?"

"Sure… it doesn't bother you when you go to sleep?"

"Naw, well, sometimes, but I don't mind it."

When the brew was poured into a comfy mug, April and Chloe sat at the table, taking time to get to know each other.

"So… do you have a boyfriend?" Chloe asked hesitantly.

April shook her head, smiling.

"Not really. There is this guy who I have been seeing on and off the past year. And you?"

"Me?" Chloe laughed dryly, "Not anymore. I had a bad break up with my first boyfriend six months ago. It um, it ended really terribly. I can't say I'm over it, but I did learn a lot from that relationship. Mostly that I wasn't ready."

April gave a woeful grin.

"That's what first relationship are for kiddo."

"That's what my mom tried telling me… I didn't listen. I'm kind of stupid like that." Chloe said, with a quiet, really nostalgic tone of voice.

April snorted and laughed, "Hey, don't beat yourself up too hard. I mean, whether or not there is someone there to try to guide you, being a teenager is all about making mistakes and moving on."

Chloe grinned," Good to know I'm not alone. Anyways, anything else you'd like to know about my weird life? Maybe we could talk about the kind of work you'll expect from me."

April nodded and pulled out a folder.

"Here, I prepped this for you to look through. Basically, you'll help me stay organized, gather information, take down notes, recordings and… that's pretty much it. I do a lot of my own work, but I got promoted recently, so I'll be doing a lot more. You might be able to help my cameraman edit, but I doubt Vern is going to want much help. By the way, Vern is kind of a womanizer; so don't be fazed by him if he starts trying to flirt with you. He's a good guy, just doesn't know when to quit."

"Ok, well, I will try to keep that in mind. Um, congrats on the promotion! I look forward to helping you out and learning on the job." Chloe grinned uneasily.

April smiled back at Chloe's eagerness. This was definitely a step up from her previous roommate, who had never shown any interest in her work.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Donatello had just finished doing a basic check up on his cameras and monitoring equipment when a call came through from Leo.

"Yo Leo, what's-"

"Donnie, Mikey and I are gonna be a little late. Angel has some company that we're going to get rid of. Make sure that April is safe."

"Will do, but so far so good here. Do you need help?" Donatello asked as he looked across the street. Raphael was doing a perimeter check, but he wasn't back yet.

"No, Mikey and I got this."

"Roger that."

Donatello finished and stood to his feet, casting a thorough glance down the street before looking through April's apartment window. He could see the occupants if he squinted. With his equipment, however, it was almost like he was there with them.

April was sitting in her living room, and next to her was a girl that looked vaguely familiar. It had to be Chloe. She looked almost exactly like her sister. All her acne was gone with some trace scars; she was much taller and more muscular and no longer had braces. Her skin was lighter then her sister's skin, although she was still tan and she had dark grey eyes and an expression that seemed sweet and open.

"I guess Mikey was right about five years making a difference." Donatello joked slightly to himself, "Imagine that."

"Imagine what?"

"GAH!" Donatello jumped as Raph tapped him on the shoulder, grinning evilly, "Gotcha, bro. The perimeter's clear."

"Right. We might wanna go over it again."

"Huh? Why? Hey, isn't Fearless and Captain Spazz supposed to be here by now?" Raph raised a brow, crossing his arms.

"They're taking care of some guys that are following Angel."

"Aw, are ya kidding me?! They're getting some action right now? Fu-"

"Raphael."

Raph paused mid swear as Donatello tensed up. Raph followed his brother's gaze.

To his relief and confusion, April seemed fine… but in the next apartment over, there was trouble.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Chloe nearly snorted with laughter as April finished a brief story about her childhood. Obviously, it wasn't the story about her father tragically dying in a fire, but a mostly true story about her pet turtles.

Chloe had talked about her dog, Samson, who had passed away the year before. This got them reminiscing about memories of pets. April knew she was skating on slightly thin ice, as her pets had turned out to be mutated humanoid teenage turtles that also fought crime with their ninja skills. But still, it felt good to speak with someone about normal stuff.

"So they really liked eating pizza? That's so cute!"

"Yeah, they really love it-loved. They loved it." April corrected with a nervous chuckle.

"So what happened to them?"

"Well…" April hesitated. She had just met Chloe and even though she seemed nice, she wasn't sure she was ready to share the fact that she had tragedy strike at so early an age. So many girls, whom she had spoken to, including her old roommate, had immediately backed out and treated her weird upon learning about her life. And besides, she didn't want to tell that story so soon after Chloe's own tragedy.

So April just shrugged," I had to give them away. Our landlord hated them."

"Oh… poor guys." Chloe frowned in pity.

"It was hard. They found a good home though, so it could have been worse. But every one has a tragic pet story, right?"

"Oh yeah! It makes for great literature!" Chloe commented, with a slight wry expression. "Old Yeller, Where the Red Fern Grows, The Yearling, Marley and Me and the list grows on."

April chuckled lightly, trying to hide the fact that she had heard something from the next apartment over. It had sounded like a thud and a muffled cry.

"Are your neighbors usually loud?" Chloe asked as she looked over her shoulder at the wall behind her. "Maybe that's why your roommate actually moved out."

April cleared her throat. " No, usually they are pretty quiet, although they have their moments. Um, excuse me for a moment, Chloe."

Chloe nodded, standing, she replied, "Actually, I am pretty tired. I'm going to go get settled in. Can I take my coffee to my room with me?"

"Sure."

As Chloe left, April stood up cautiously. Quietly, she went next door and knocked. Her neighbor, Irma, peeked through.

"H-hi April!"

"Hey Irma. Everything ok?"

"Uh, y-yeah. I just, um, tripped again. You know me, super, super clumsy."

"Who's at the door, Babe?"

"Oh, it's j-just April, honey!" Irma called back to her boyfriend with a little laugh.

"Well, tell her to mind her own fucking business!"

April frowned, but said nothing as Irma visibly flinched at Jacksons' voice. She wanted so much to help Irma, but her soft-spoken neighbor was still defensive about her supposed lover. So, for now, April did mind her own business, though she was careful to check on Irma every now and then. The cute little librarian was very sweet, if a little dorky, and April had to admit that she liked her quirky nature. In fact, before Irma had met Jackson, they had been a little closer then just neighbor and had been borderline friends. All that changed after Jackson moved in. Irma had become more reclusive and quiet under his domineering influence.

"Ok, well, let me know if there's anything I can do." April told her quietly.

"Thanks April. Have a good night!" Irma smiled nervously as she closed the door.

8~8~8~8~8

As Irma closed the door, she let out a sigh of relief. April was getting nosier and nosier. But… she couldn't exactly blame the reporter either. Jackson hadn't exactly been quiet or cautious these past weeks-

She sucked in her breath as her wrist was suddenly, violently grabbed and yanked, jerking her around to look into the steely face of her boyfriend. That handsome face she had fallen in love with glowered down on her like a demonic angel.

"What did you tell her, Irma?" He smirked.

"N-nothing! I-I said thanks and have a good night."

Jackson smirked.

"Good girl. C'mon, let's go watch Tv."

Irma let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Her wrist was now bruised and she knew she would have to wear long sleeves again for work tomorrow.

She held back tears, burying her feelings into the TV show that Jackson had put on. That was honestly the highlight of her life now. It was rare now that he didn't hurt her, whether through words… or actions.

"I… I deserve it. I'm just a garbage person who makes mistakes and I don't even deserve Jackson's love."

Something screamed at her that this wasn't love, but she drowned it out with her guilt.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8

"Did you see that?" Donatello asked sharply.

Raphael nodded slowly, his amber eyes smoldering. "That human's a real piece of trash."

"April's got an neighbor who's being abused. I'm… I'm gonna call her, see if she knows. That's really messed up."

As Don began the call, Raph brooded, looking at the window of April's neighbor. They had seen a tall, burly man, very clearly, grab his much smaller roommate and throw her, very roughly and intentionally, into the wall brutally as he snarled something with an ugly, hateful expression. The woman had very clumsily tried to catch herself, but only seemed to fall harder, her expression pleading with him as he leered over her. She was a soft looking woman, with mousy brown hair and large, nerdy glasses. She was wearing a turtleneck sweater, despite the fact that it was summer.

Raph ground the toothpick he had between his teeth hatefully. Why were so many humans scummy like this? That woman was so tiny, barely would come up to his chest if she were standing next to him. What the hell was that guy thinking, treating her like that?!

Donatello's terse voice broke into his thoughts as he looked away from the tiny woman.

"Uh-huh… Ok, take it easy."

Donatello lividly growled, "April knows… but her neighbor won't do anything about it. April said her name is Irma and she's in denial about how dangerous her relationship is, so nothing can legally be done."

Raph grunted, shredding the toothpick in his mouth as he and Donatello both contemplated the apartment next to April's.

That big lug was still leering over her. Raph's fists itched.

"Nothing LEGAL, huh?" He growled.

"Don't even think about it, Raph. As much as I agree with you, that's not our focus." Donatello was torn, and Raph could hear it in his voice. Don wanted to do something just as much as Raph did.

After a few moments, Don checked his watch and frowned.

"Leo and Mikey should have been here by now."

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Angel finally halted, waiting for her followers to catch up. Slowly, three burly shadows surrounded her. The one in front drew closer until he stood 4 feet away from her, looking down on her lithe and unwavering frame.

"Miss Zeck?"

"I'm listening." Angel growled.

"So, Officer Reid got through to you, did he?"

"No shit, Sherlock. So let's talk." Angel shoved her hands further into her jacket, hand gripping the pocketknife she kept there. Her heart was stuttering, much as she didn't want to admit it. This was the last thing she wanted to do, but if Irma was going to make it to see another day, she had no choice….

8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Leo and Mikey were still, listening quietly to the conversation. They had been about to act when one of the guys began talking, almost as though Angel had been going to meet them purposely. Leo wanted to act immediately, but Mikey insisted that there had to be a reason that she was meeting with them. They reached a truce and agreed to wait, to listen and see what was going on. If Angel became threatened, they would intervene.

"You already know what we would expect of you. We want any info on your brother and his friend. We also want you to join our organization and help us recruit. You're pretty persuasive and you're the smartest eighteen year old on the street."

Angel shifted slightly. Her face was stony, but Leo could hear her breath catch. If she was betraying Casey, and joining the Purple Dragons, it wasn't deliberate.

"Fine. I'll be part of your gang. If I do this, you get that Jackson asshole out of Irma's life, and you leave Irma alone IN GENERAL. She doesn't have ANYTHING to do with Bebop OR Rocksteady. She hates their guts. Do you KNOW how many times those assholes almost got her killed without even trying? And secondly… I wont kill. To ask me to do so would be an absolute voluntary suicide on your part."

"Dude, who's Irma?" Mikey breathed, and Leo frowned with this new information. He looked at his brother, whose eyes remained glued to Angel, as he contemplated.

Angel… was doing this to protect someone. In spite of her rough appearance, she had someone she was willing to die for in her life. Willing to compromise her honor for even. He clenched his jaw as all this dragged on his heart. He remembered clearly the day that the Foot broke into their home and he and his brothers were forced to surrender in order to protect their father… which had been almost in vain any way. He knew exactly what Angel was going through and he wanted to help her, to keep her from feeling as awful as he had felt that day.

With these thoughts racing through his head, Leo made a judgment; they knew where Angel lived, they could continue to monitor her activity, legal AND illegal, and through her, maybe they had an opportunity to discover the weaknesses of the Purple Dragons. Meanwhile, they would find this Irma, and somehow, they would keep her safe. Until then, they couldn't risk getting anyone killed.

As Leo's thoughts raced through his head, the Purple Gang boss continued leering as he threw Angel's terms of agreement back at her face.

"Jackson stays where he is. Miss Rocksteed's only purpose is to keep you in line. So, if you wish to save her life, you will do EXACTLY as you're told. Tonight is your lucky night, however. You aren't any good at killing, so that won't be a problem. Your job is to recruit, and to recruit ONLY. Are we clear?"

"Yeah, crystal." Angel snarled. She seemed pissed and Leo couldn't blame her.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

"Good. Here's how we'll contact you. And if you fail to respond, your friend will pay the price."

"Yeah, yeah, I get the nuances." Angel hissed. She took the offered pre-paid phone and shoved it into her pocket.

"See you around… Angel." The three men laughed raucously as they dispersed in different directions. Angel sighed deeply as they finally left, unable to shake the feeling that she was still being watched.

It didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered. She slumped, eyes closed. What could she do?

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

"Dude…" Mikey whispered, his heart breaking. He didn't know who this Irma chick was that they kept bringing up, but Angel… basically gave up her freedom to keep her… sister? Friend? Family? … Safe.

Leo watched as Angel kicked at a can on the street, beginning her angry and despondent walk home.

He sent a quick text to Donnie that they would meet back at the lair, before he signaled Mikey that they were following Angel home.

May as well, make sure she got home safely. With her guard down, it didn't seem like it would be a good idea to leave her alone, even if she didn't know they were there.

Once Angel was safely in her apartment, Leo and Mikey began the trek home, both quiet, Mikey strangely so.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

Splinter, Raph and Don were waiting with mixed anticipations as Leo and Mikey returned, the last ones back to the Lair.

"Were you seen?" was the first question asked, by Splinter of course.

"No Master, we were not seen. There is so much we learned tonight." Leo began, cut off by Mikey, "Casey's friend's name is Angel and she joined the Purple Dragons! But she had to because they threatened to kill someone named Irma, and she tried to get them to leave her alone in return for her joining their side, but they totally have her under their thumb, so now she's part of their group just so she can-"

"Wait, did you say Irma?" Donatello cut Mikey off sharply and loudly, before Leo could make any attempt to stop Mikey from blurting out everything they had learned.

"Yes, that's correct, Irma Rocksteed. Angel is being coerced into being a recruiter. We made sure she stayed safe, but master, what if we gain insight from her involvement with the Purple Dragons? We could continue to monitor her and assure her safety while seeking out weaknesses and information."

Splinter grunted softly, but before he could gather his thoughts for a response, Donatello looked up from where he had been texting, gasping, " It's her! I just texted April about Irma's last name! It's the same Irma!"

"I'm sorry, what are you talking about, Donnie?" Leo squinted in interest.

"Well, while Raph checked the perimeter of April's building, I checked the surveillance equipment and… we saw an altercation happen in April's neighbor's apartment. Apparently, her neighbor, this Irma Rocksteed, has an abusive live-in boyfriend. Raph and I saw him throw her into a wall. She… she's half his size and fragile looking. But according to April, nothing legal can be done because Irma is in denial about the abuse and defends her boyfriend."

"Is his name Jackson, by any chance, that was a name that Angel threw out. She told them that she wanted "Jackson" out of Irma's life."

"Hold on." Donatello quickly sent a text to April. They waited tersely for her reply.

"She's asking how we're finding all this stuff out and why it's important. Meaning yes, Jackson is the person in charge of holding Irma's safety hostage." Donatello confirmed grimly, the gears in his head turning.

There was silence as everyone took in this information.

"We need to talk to April and Casey. Together. They need to know what we just found out." Leo finally decided. He looked at Splinter.

"We should learn what Casey thinks, before making any decisions about Angel. And somehow, someone needs to warn Irma that her boyfriend is using her. He's got to be working. Donnie, text April and Casey, tell them to meet us on April's rooftop."

"On it."

Don replied as his fingers flew over his phone.

"Bad news guys… Casey said he's working and won't be able to meet until tomorrow night."

"Fine. We'll meet with them tomorrow." Leo decided.

Mikey turned to Donnie and Raph.

"SO… is Chloe an ax murder?"

"What? No, she's…" Donatello paused. With what happened, he actually hadn't observed her all that much except to see that she looked remarkably like her sister.

"She's pretty ordinary looking. Not special at all."

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

(Flashback 5 years ago)

"Irma! Irma, no! Please don't go! Don't leave me!"

"I have to, Birdie. You don't need me... and I don't need you either!" 19 year-old Irma replied coldly to the 13 year old girl who stood in her way, brown eyes pleading.

Angel stopped, her glinting dark eyes tearing up, as her heart shredded at the words.

"You said we were a team! You said you would always be there for me!" Angel sobbed desperately.

Well I lied! Get used to it!" Irma snarled as she finally pushed passed Angel and left, slamming the door.

Angel slumped to the ground in disbelief. Her purple-dyed pigtails drooped around her cherub face, as tears rolled down her dusky cheeks. She didn't know it, but Irma was crying too, as she shouldered her knapsack and disappeared down the street.

"Trust me, Birdie... You're better off without me."

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

(End flashback)

Irma woke with a start. Her heart hammered in her chest at the vivid memory. Guilt tore her to shreds as she tried to forget that heartbroken face. How… how could she forget when Angel had tried to talk to her just a few days ago?

Jackson had denied that it was she, but Irma had known that voice.

She slipped out of bed to go into the bathroom. Walking over to the sink, she washed her sweaty face. Looking up, she gazed at her reflection, feeling strangely out of place. Her shoulders were bruised from tonight's romp. Jackson liked it rough and Irma flinched as she touched the bruises gingerly. She had tried to get him to be gentle, but he always argued that if she loved him, she would give in and let him satisfy himself.

And if she didn't love him, he may as well leave to find someone who did.

One time, she had said, to his face, "Then go!"

And he, with a sudden heart breaking expression, sobbed, "So you really don't love me? I've been with you all this time for nothing?"

Irma couldn't bear the thought of him leaving. She didn't want to be alone. And yet…

"I'm sorry, Bridgette... it's better this way." Irma murmured quietly as she sat in the bathroom, her green eyes dull and numb.

* * *

To those who have Read, Fav'd or put this story on story alert, THANK YOU!

The author is grateful and will do her best!


	5. Dirty Souls

Greetings, Readers! I hope everyone is having a good week!

Again, some heavy content involving a victim of abuse. Steer clear if that offends.

* * *

Chapter 4

Dirty Souls

April finished her make-up and made her way back to the kitchen, to her surprise, Chloe was already there, dressed in running clothes and dripping sweat.

"Already back from your run?"

"Yeah." Chloe nodded, still out of breath," The weather is really nice. San Antonio is always so freaking humid around this time of year, even in the early morning."

She paused and added,"I, uh, I met the neighbors… or, one of them, anyways."

April quirked a brow," Uh-huh. How did that go?"

"Um..."

(Flash back)

Groggily, Chloe dragged herself out of the apartment, turning to lock the door. She was startled out of her skin when she heard the door next to April's apartment open and close.

"Well, well, look at you. Good morning, sunshine." The guy who had come out of the apartment was tall, burly, and… well, he didn't give Chloe good vibes.

"Um, good morning." Chloe nodded briskly, turning to leave, she stiffened as a low wolf-whistle reached her ears.

She turned in indignation, but paused when she realized that the guy was following her, grinning ear to ear, "You got a name, babe?"

Chloe frowned, her eyes flashing as she snarled, "I do, actually, and it's NOT babe."

8~8~8~8~8~8~8

(end flash back)

"I didn't catch his name, but he is in 308? He came out when I was leaving for my run, going to work, I guess and…. Made some inappropriate comments about my body. I told him off, told him I wasn't his babe, and he got ugly with me. I mean, uglier then he already is." Chloe added with a snort.

April tried not to laugh at the sarcasm, her eyes widening slightly.

"Chloe, I hate to say this, but… You're right; Jackson is not a nice guy. He's an abusive misogynist. Whatever you do, stay away from him, got it?"

"Already priority number 1, ma'am." Chloe saluted. She frowned, "Wait, does that mean… the noises I heard last night-"

"He… lives with my neighbor, Irma Rocksteed. It's her apartment, but he's her boyfriend."

Chloe's eyes glinted strangely.

"I see."

"Irma defends him, so there's nothing we can do for now. Anyway, I've got to get going. Here's your copy of the key. Feel free to explore, just be careful. If you have any questions, text me. I'll be back later tonight."

"Alright, April. Be safe." Chloe waved as April left. Her gaze went to the wall separating her from Irma.

She cracked her knuckles and turned away, grabbing the coffee pot.

While the coffee brewed, she showered and changed; grabbing her textbooks, she sat down to study. Her pencil wandered, sketching doodles of eyes in the darkness, female humans with sharp horns, and… a pentagram-like symbol, over and over. The night before was haunting her, recalling to her mind feelings and memories she didn't want. Her controlling ex-boyfriend and all the drama he had brought upon her, her adoptive family and the imposing figure that should have been a father to her but instead-

"Shut up!" She muttered, squeezing her eyes shut. She had already had a hard time falling asleep in her new space, but… the noises that had come from next door had chilled her.

The sound of rhythmic thuds and muffled crying; more frightening was the silence that followed.

Flashbacks haunted Chloe, and she fisted the coffee mug in her hands as she threw her pencil angrily across the room.

"Dez… I can't ignore this. What should I do?" She scratched under her fingerless gloves restlessly.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Irma was getting ready for work when she heard a knock at her door. She quirked a brow and went timidly to the peephole. A young woman dressed in blue jean shorts and a graphic band t-shirt stood there, hands in pockets. Irma opened the door, hoping that her concealer was doing its job.

"Y-yes?"

"Hi, Irma? I'm April's new roommate, Chloe Kyle. I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm gonna be working with April in a couple of days, so I thought I would just say hi before I get too busy."

Irma nodded curtly, "Nice to meet you Chloe. If you'll excuse me, I need to-"

"Hey, is that a Neil Diamond Poster?" Chloe suddenly gasped, genuine surprise and happiness in her tone.

Irma was surprised by the girl's recognition. She nodded, "Um, yeah, it b-belonged to my mom."

"Wow! It's even signed! Oh man, my grandmother would FLIP if she saw that!" Chloe chuckled, adding ruefully, "Sorry, it's just… I grew up listening to that guy. I spent most of my younger childhood with my grandparents."

Irma's expression softened slightly. "I did too. What a legend, right?"

"Dude, totally." Chloe laughed, suddenly nervous. "Sorry for geeking out like that. I guess I'll let you get back to your morning. It was really nice to meet you, Irma."

"Oh please, you're talking to the queen of geeks! But seriously, it was nice to meet you too, Chloe. I'll see you around." Irma smiled, feeling a tendril of warmth at the friendly face and voice. Chloe nodded and turned as Irma closed her door.

Her heart squeezed, as her suspicions were confirmed. Irma had been wearing way too much makeup, and there had been telltale signs of bruises beneath the paint.

Her eyes flashed and her fists clenched, as bad (no, they were awful) memories flashed through her mind.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Irma ran to catch her subway, breathing a sigh of relief when she made it in time. The Library was particularly quiet that morning, as she threw herself into her work, trying to not think, as was usual.

But thoughts crept through her mind anyway, since her routine had been broken. The way Jackson was getting more and more aggressive in his behavior toward her, the fact that SHE KNEW that her old friend, Bridgette Zeck, had tried to talk to her, for the first time in 4 years, the new presence in the apartment complex that had looked past her poorly covered bruises to see the Neil Diamond poster, speaking to her like a person rather then a victim, the way April did.

Before Irma knew it, tears were leaking out of the corners of her eyes.

"No, no, no, keep it together, Irma." She dabbed carefully, so as not to smear her makeup, clenching her teeth. Her heart seized at the thought of Jackson leaving her. Even though he had started hurting her, she knew she deserved it. She was such a terrible person; he was only giving her the treatment she deserved, right? When she was good, he was so nice to her… he only hit her when she deserved it.

Right?

That made it ok, right?

After all… she had done such messed up shit. Leaving Bridgette to deal with her Nana on her own, participating in her stepbrother's life of crime, lying, cheating, manipulating those closest to her… if it wasn't for Jackson, she never would have turned her life around. She OWED him… And if he wanted to treat her like garbage, it was no less than what she deserved.

Still… Irma couldn't stop thinking about the friendly, if super short talk she had had with Chloe, April's new roommate.

She missed that kind of interaction. She hoped she would see more of Chloe. Come to think of it, she had been wearing a Pink Floyd t-shirt, Irma's favorite band. Maybe they had more in common?

At that moment, however, as she was returning books to their designation places, a large, bulky figure, wearing a trench coat and fedora, loomed to her left, nearly taking up the entire space of the isle. Irma almost dropped her books with surprise and fear. This guy was huge!

"H-hello, can I help you?"

"I came to deliver a message." The voice coming from the guy was soft, almost gentle sounding, belying his size. "Your friend, Angel, is in trouble. Unless you kick out your boyfriend, Jackson Reid, then Angel will suffer."

Irma's eyes widened, her heart nearly stopping at the words. Her teeth clenched and she snarled, "Who the hell are you? Have you been stalking me? You better fuck off, or I'll call the police."

The figure took a step back, but Irma couldn't make out their face at all. In a pleading tone, the guy replied, "I'm not your enemy. If you are really Angel's friend, you will talk to her. Find out the truth for yourself." They added vehemently, "You are stronger than this. You don't need that creep in your life."

And as suddenly as they had appeared, they were gone.

Irma blinked, unable to process what had just happened. Her hands shook.

Slowly, resolve whirled through her mind. If there was even the slightest chance that what had just happened was real, and if there was even a remote iota of truth to what was said, then Angel needed her.

Irma really did cry then. "No, no, Angel doesn't need me. No one needs me."

She hissed in pain as her tears irritated an cut on her face, from where Jackson had tripped her into the table. She had been lucky that she hadn't been hospitalized that night.

The pain lanced her cloud of self-pity and she set her jaw.

"This is crazy… but I never claimed sanity."

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Donatello sighed with relief once he was back underground. He had been super nervous, finding Irma and trying to warn her about Angel. He had been plagued by the idea that Irma was being used as a pawn, unaware of her friend's suffering. Not to mention the fact that he felt that Irma was familiar... He had seen her somewhere before, he was sure of it-

A giant hand clapped over his shoulder suddenly, and a voice asked, "What did you do, Donnie?"

"GAH!" Donatello nearly jumped a mile into the air as Raphael appeared from behind him like a shadow.

"Raph! I, uh- Nothing! ABSOLUTELY-"

"I'm waiting." Raph crossed his arms, looking unimpressed as he looked his brother in the eye.

Donatello didn't look at him, looking down as he asked quietly," How did you know?"

"I didn't... Mikey did. He noticed you were acting weird and we decided to make sure that you didn't do anything stupid. He's currently keeping Splinter and Leo preoccupied, I followed you, to offer support and to stop you if you DID do something stupid... Now, tell me, am I too late?"

Donatello gave a shaky grin. Of course. For as much of a knucklehead as Mikey was, he always noticed when the energy was different in his family.

"Heh, I don't know if I wouldsay you're too late… I mean, in a sense, yes BUT! We're not in danger! I... I disguised myself and I found Irma. She works at the library. I warned her about Angel and Jackson. She didn't freak out, or call the police, but... I don't know if she believed me. I just told her that she didn't need that creep."

Raph paused as Donatello looked up defiantly, "Look, I'm sorry, I know it could have gone badly, but I-"

"Ya don't have to apologize to me, Donnie. You did what you felt you needed to." Raph grunted supportively.

Donatello did a double take, "I, - what?"

Raph shrugged as he grumbled, "Personally, I would've just beat the crap out of that creep she's living with, but, you actually figured out a way to try and get her to help herself. You're a smart guy, Donatello, and you're compassionate. That's what makes you such a great brother and friend."

Raphael had uncrossed his arms and turned to go, adding over his shoulder," You probably SHOULD tell Leo though. He ain't gonna like, but he'll fly off the handle if he finds out on his own."

"Yeah..." Donatello muttered, following Raphael home. That was a conversation that he was not looking forward to.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Evening…. A half moon looms over the city…

Leo and his brothers waited for April and Casey on the rooftop of April's building, all four of them in some form of unease. April had told them that she would knock twice before opening the door, so if the door opened without the signal, they were to hide immediately.

Mikey was covering his with his usual stream of words.

"Donnie, c'mon! Tell me what she looked like! Is she cute? Hot? Ugly like Raph?"

"I'm about to get real ugly with you, Mikey," Raph growled.

Mikey chuckled," Dude, like, a lifetime too late for that! Agh!" He gave a girly scream as Raph snarled and tried to hit him.

"Would you two keep it down!" Leo hissed. At that moment, they all flew into ninja mode, as the door opened to the roof.

They all stilled, safely hidden in the shadows as a girl came out of the building, dressed in work out gear, a yoga mat tucked under her arm and a jump rope in hand. They all instantly realized it was Chloe.

She was a spitting image of the late Desiree Kyle.

She laid her stuff out, and stretched lazily, yawning and tightening her ponytail.

"Dude, is that-"

But before Mikey could finish his question, the door opened again and Irma Rocksteed came out. "C-chloe?"

"Oh! Hi, Irma!" Chloe turned and waved to Irma, slightly surprised to see her, but happy nonetheless.

"How's it hanging?"

"Um, cold, shriveled and to the left." Irma quirked a brow as she pulled out her cigarette that she was going to smoke, leaning against the doorframe she had just come from.

"Don't mind me, I just come up here to smoke when Jackson's not around. He uh, he doesn't like it."

"Heh, well, likewise, don't mind me, I'm just gonna work out. Gotta keep from getting fat… or, fatter then I already am!" Chloe chuckled darkly as she lay back on the yoga mat to begin sit-ups.

Irma watched looked away, blowing smoke, she asked, "Do you mind me smoking while you-"

"Naw. My uh, grandfather was a heavy smoker. I don't feel the urge myself, but I do like the smell. It reminds me of better times."

Irma quirked a brow, "I see."

Chloe stood, her feet staggering into a fight stance.

Irma watched in silence as Chloe kicked and punched with conviction, shadowboxing some unseen enemy. After a few moments, Chloe took a short breather, drinking from a bottle she had brought up with her.

"You, uh, you fight?" Irma asked in interest.

"A little. My big sister taught me. She was an MMA fighter. "

Irma flicked ashes off her cigarette casually, taking another drag, " Did she retire?"

Chloe froze. She swallowed.

"She died this past year."

Irma put a hand to her mouth. "Shit. Shit. I'm so sorry."

Chloe stood up, her head bowed. She nodded," It's ok. No need to apologize. Death happens, right?"

She choked on her own words.

Irma put out her cigarette. "Do you… you need-"

"No. I'm ok. I'm processing it. But I appreciate the sentiment." Chloe smiled, her eyes stony.

Irma looked away. She sighed, her eyes lowered.

"I… I lost my mom when I was kid. I don't remember much of her. I just know that… she would hate the person I've become."

Chloe's head snapped up. Her lips curled.

"Irma, how dare you."

Irma looked up in surprise as Chloe stomped over to her, jabbing a finger into her face, "If your mom was anything like mine, than it doesn't matter what you do, she would fucking love you. That's what mothers DO. They love, and they love, no matter what. And no, not every woman can do that, but she was a true mom, then, no, Irma, she wouldn't hate you. She would love you and she would want YOU to love YOU."

Chloe paused, as she realized that tears were running down her face, and Irma's. "Fuck… Fuck I'm sorry!"

At that moment, there were two very distinct knocks from the door to the roof.

Irma and Chloe froze like deer in the headlights, tears running down both of their faces as the door opened to reveal April and Casey, who both stopped short as they saw the two girls, rather then the four teens they had been expecting to meet.

April frowned, as did Casey.

"Are we interrupting a moment here?" Casey asked wryly.

"Irma? Chloe? Everything ok?" April asked in concern.

Irma and Chloe looked at each other before they both gave nervous laughs.

"Oh, uh, yeah, we're just fine!" Irma smiled while Chloe grinned maniacally, "You two here to swap spit with each other?"

Casey choked and April snorted, "Very funny, Chloe," freezing as they heard a loud chortle from somewhere else on the roof.

Chloe and Irma turned toward the noise, but then April said loudly, "Um, Casey and I were hoping to have some privacy, could you two talk in the apartment?"

"Sure, April. Wanna come over, Irma?" Chloe asked, a tad hopefully.

"Um… maybe." Irma replied.

"See ya later April." Chloe waved as she grabbed her work-out stuff.

"See ya."

As soon as Chloe and Irma were gone, April pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"You guys better get out here." She snarled.

"Sorry, angel-cakes, I couldn't help it!" Mikey whined, rubbing his head where Raph had whacked him in order to keep him from laughing more.

"What was all that?" April asked, gesturing back to the door.

Leo crossed his arms; "We were waiting for you two when Chloe came out, presumably to practice her fighting techniques. Irma came out shortly after and…"

Leo paused, "Chloe told Irma about her sister. Casey was right, they were having a moment."

Raph snorted, "They were both about to start crying and whining you mean."

"Raph, don't be so heartless!" Mikey frowned, "Chloe lost her sister, I mean, put yourself in her shoes!"

"Can't. Wouldn't fit." Raph harrumphed.

"Ok, putting all that aside, what was so important that you needed to tell us as soon as possible?" Casey asked, getting impatient.

Leo took a breath.

"Casey, we know who your informant is. Angel, right? Pink hair, punkish look-"

"How the ever-loving hell do you know about Angel?" Casey snarled, remembering distinctly that he hadn't told them about his source.

"Mikey and I saw you with her that night you told us about the Purple Dragons. We weren't following you or nothing, it just happened. When you showed up and told us, Mikey and I put two and two together. We've been keeping tabs on her, to make sure that she stays safe, since she very clearly refused to join a vicious and dangerous gang." Raph growled.

He paused and Leo spoke up, "Last night, she was confronted by three men, presumably members of the Purple Dragons. They threatened her, telling her that if she didn't join, they were going kill her friend… Irma Rocksteed, April's neighbor."

April put a hand to her mouth, shocked. Casey flinched, his eyes widening.

"As of right now, Angel is working for the purple Dragons to keep her friend from being killed. Oh, and that douchebag she lives with, Jackson Reid? He's part of the whole scheme. He's the one who's gonna kill Irma if Angel doesn't do as she's told."

Casey went red with rage, turning on his heel, he almost went down to confront the bad cop, but April grabbed his arm, snarling, "Casey, you do anything without solid proof, they'll crucify you, and you may even endanger those two girls even more then they already are!"

Raphael placed himself between Casey and the door, feeling sympathetic, as he too, wanted to smash Jackson Reid's face in.

"Ok… Ok, I know. This explains why Jackson's track record is so muddy. I'm gonna put him behind bars!" Casey snarled.

Donatello scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he spoke up, "Listen, I have a confession… I went to Irma's workplace today. I disguised myself with some baggy clothes, and a hologram-device I whipped up recently."

"YOU DID WHAT NOW?" Leo snarled, his eyes blazing, "What the hell were you thinking!? Donnie, you could have put us all in danger-"

"-DO YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT, LEO?!" Donatello snapped, puffing out his chest as he grit his teeth, "I thought long and hrd about doing what I did. But I couldn't stand the fact that Irma is sleeping with the enemy and she doesn't even know it! Her friend is putting her life on the line and she doesn't even know! I had to try! And if you think for one second that I don't value our safety just as much as you do, than you're more arrogant than I thought." Donatello snarled defensively, glaring daggers at Leonardo, who backed down slightly at Donatello's tirade.

Mikey stood in awe, as did Raph. They had never seen Donatello get so angry, and Mikey whispered, "Dude."

Leo was quiet, but he stood firm, "You could have told us."

Don conceded, "Maybe, but that's no reason to accuse me of stupidity or ignorance."

"So what did she say?" April asked, diplomatically trying to move forward. She partially agreed with Leo, but understood that Donatello's heart was in the right place.

Donatello sighed, looking down at the concrete as his anger deflated, moving back to the task at hand.

"She didn't seem to believe me. I assure you, she doesn't know what I am, nor did she scream for help or call the police. I came and went pretty quick, so as far she knows, it could have been a dream. We're safe, Leo." He added confidently.

April pinched the bridge of her nose. Casey was deathly silent. His eyes were flickering with rage.

"Those bastards got to Angel…" his fists clenched and trembled. "I swore I would keep her out trouble. I…I" He couldn't even finish his sentence, anger and guilt worming through his heart.

"Casey, we want to help. Angel and Irma seem like a good people, and we don't want to put them in danger." Leo turned away from Donatello, choosing to ignore his brother's actions for now. He would speak with him later.

Casey looked up and smiled bitterly.

"Well, as far as that goes, she's always in danger. She's an orphan with a thug for a brother… While we're here revealing new information, I guess there's something you should know about Angel."

Mikey started laughing, "You look like you're gonna unveil something totally jaw-dropping, like, 'Angel's uncle is the Shredder'!"

Mikey continued to laugh, but Casey remained stony faced as he continued, "No, but close. Bebop's her older brother."

Mikey choked on his laughter and began coughing.

The others showed equal, if less dramatic surprise.

"ExSQUEEZE ME?!" Donatello huffed.

Casey bowed his head, looking at the ground stonily, "I met her during a drug bust back when she was in junior high. She wasn't involved, but that was the night that Bebop and Rocksteady were arrested and indicted. After that… I looked after her, checking in on her as much as possible. She's a smart kid, tough and brave, but she was completely alone. Her grandmother made me promise to look after her, as much as I could. And so I have. "

He looked up, meeting everyone's gaze as he continued, " Which is part of the reason why I went after Bebop and Rocksteady so hard last year when they escaped. I didn't want them anywhere near Angel. Angel grew up around a family that worked under the thumb of the Purple Dragons, back when they were starting to lose power. She hated the trouble they brought her, and she's tried to stay out any sort of gang activity, at first for her grandmother's sake… but then her grandmother died a few years back. So, she's on her own now, just trying to survive."

Casey looked down again, his features hardening, "Thanks for looking out for her guys… I gotta find her, and tell her that she ain't alone in this."

"We'll help any way we can." Leo nodded.

April had been digging in her purse for her phone and brought it out, her features grim.

"Well, I guess it's my turn to spill some new info. You guys, I've been checking around for information about the Purple Dragons and… well, these tags have been showing up around the city, more and more. I don't think your presence is as secret as we initially thought."

She showed them the pictures she had taken.

Crude imagery of four turtles impaled through a single sword or arrow had been tagged on several building walls with purple paint. Some were extremely simplistic, almost comical, while other tags were… extremely graphic and overly gory.

"They… they couldn't remember us… How would they?!" Leo frowned as he examined the drawings.

"Remember?" Casey frowned, "Oh yeah, you guys said you had a run in with them before, right?"

Mikey nodded, looking uncharacteristically grim, "Yeah, it happened when we were really young, like four, I think?"

"What happened exactly?" April asked, having not heard this story before.

Leo snorted, looking somewhat ashamed as he replied, "The four of us were playing a game of hide and seek. We wandered a little too far from the Lair and got lost. Then, we heard someone crying. I… I wanted to help them, so we climbed to the surface. But then, it turned out to be a girl who was in some teenage creep's clutches. He had punched her in the face, and she had a black eye. We tried to scare the human, but instead, he had some other guys come out from nowhere it seemed."

Raph filled the silence of Leo's pause, snarling with rage," They would have killed us. But Splinter showed up around that time. They beat him bad, but he managed to hold them off while we retreated underground."

Donatello continued the story grimly, "The girl we were trying to help was able to escape too, while the gang members fought Splinter. If it wasn't for the mutagen, Splinter would have died from the fight. That was before he came across the book about Ninjutsu, and ultimately, it was from that incident that he became adamant about us learning to fight and hide."

Mikey looked down at his feet, feeling a sense of sadness as he added," We don't know if the girl was ok after that. But the guys kept saying stuff about being part of the Purple Dragons."

Leo shouldered his mistakes from the past as he continued, "It's possible, I guess, that those guys told someone about us, and that they've made the connection between us and our activities in the city. I just don't think it's likely, it was such a long time ago, and who would have believed them?"

Casey frowned suddenly, as he muttered, "Unless… there's a mole in the Police department. I mean, you guys are mostly secret with the NYPD, but the higher-ups know about you. I don't think its Jackson; he's not high up enough to have that information. Although now that I know he's definitely involved with the Purple Dragons, that should make it easier to dig up some dirt on him and get him arrested and out of Irma's life."

"Thanks, Casey. We'll continue to keep an eye on Angel."

Casey nodded in gratitude. April yawned as she stretched and apologized, "Sorry guys, but I've got to go. Stay in touch, ok?"

"Later April!" Raph waved and Mikey blew her a kiss as he waggled his eye-ridges, "Sweet dreams, angelcakes!"

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Irma and Chloe sat in silence in April's kitchen. Finally, Chloe spoke.

"I'm sorry if I was out of line. It's just… you reminded me of myself, when I was with my ex, David. I thought I needed him, and I accepted the way he treated me. He never hit me, but he made me feel like everything that went wrong was my fault. If I put a toe out of line, he would give me a cold shoulder and the silent treatment, until I begged for his attention. He always acted like I needed him, but never the other way around. In spite of the fact that I let him manipulate me, my sister, who's my adoptive mom, loved me, and encouraged me to get away from him. She just wanted me to be happy. And I couldn't be happy with him, because I wasn't happy with myself. I'm still not. But I'm trying. I owe her that much."

Chloe looked up at Irma. Irma wasn't crying anymore, but she looked torn.

"You… you don't understand. How can you, you're just a kid. If I leave him… I have nothing."

Chloe looked at her and swallowed back emotions and her own self-doubt.

"It's true, you can't live for anyone else but yourself. Only you can save yourself. I can't make any decisions for you. I want to help you, because I know what it's like to think that I deserve to be treated badly… but unless you help yourself first, it's impossible for anyone else to save you." Chloe looked down as memories assailed her. Finally, she added, "I want you to know… you're not alone. I know I just met you, but I need a friend. And I think you need one too. If you don't mind, I want to be your friend, Irma."

Irma looked up, Angel on her mind, and shyly, she asked, "Hey, can you, um, teach me how… defend myself?"

Chloe looked up in surprise. Nervously, she stammered, "I, uh, I can try. I'm not that great at teaching, but if that's what you want, I will do my best."

Irma smiled in return, "Thanks."

She sighed, looking over at the clock on the wall, she froze.

"Oh. Oh god. J-Jackson is coming home soon. I need to go."

Chloe spoke up sharply, "Irma, you don't have to go. April and I both want to help you."

"No, I have to deal with this. On my own." Irma replied quietly.

"Not like this you don't." Chloe responded. She reached and grabbed Irma's hand, looking her in the face, she asked, "Do you WANT him there?"

Irma's lip quivered. Her eyes watered as her heart pounded. "I… yes."

Chloe sighed, taking a breath.

"Ok, Irma." She stood up and put a hand on Irma's shoulder.

"If you need anything, I'll be here. April too."

Irma nodded as she got up and left, walking towards her own apartment with a sinking feeling in her stomach. She was surprised when she realized that Jackson wasn't there. She sighed in relief as she walked in and started dinner.

She frowned as she thought the day over. Her new neighbor, the strange incident in the library…

How was Angel doing?

She looked at her phone and bit her lip.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Chloe looked up as April came back in, without Casey. She grinned cheekily.

"Don't even, Chloe. Is Irma doing ok?" April deflected the teasing look in Chloe's smirk with the change of subject.

Chloe shook her head, teasing smile instantly gone.

"No. She's not."

April paused and then asked, "Are you ok?"

Chloe looked up in surprise. Her eyes softened and she sniffled.

"I, uh, I'm not ok either. I don't know if I will be."

April sat next to her, looking down at the table. Finally, she spoke, "Listen, I didn't want to say anything before, but, I just wanted to say that I am sorry about your mom… or rather, your sister. Desiree Kyle."

Chloe sucked in her breath. Her eyes watered at that name.

April continued, "I know it's not my business. But I lost my mom when I was really young. My dad was murdered when I was 7, and… It was the worst feeling in the world. You don't have to talk to me, but I'm here, if you need a friend."

Chloe shuddered, as she tried to reign in her tears. It didn't work and they fell, thick and fast.

April just sat with her, not saying anything, just letting her be as she quietly sat.

After a few minutes, Chloe murmured, "Thank you. I'm sorry about your parents."

April looked up at the ceiling, her heart aching.

"I didn't get to know my mom, but I miss my dad every day."

They sat a while longer. Finally, April sighed, "I'm working on a new story. I was interviewing Casey. So far, he's been my only solid lead, but I may have another soon." She paused and added, "It's really great that you reached out to Irma."

Chloe smiled sadly. "I hope she realizes her worth. Because that's what is keeping her there with that Douchebag."

April nodded.

"Tomorrow, we're going into the news station. You ready?"

Chloe froze, "T-tomorrow?"

"Yeah, my boss decided that you might as well just jump in, the sooner the better. Vern's going to pick us up at 6:30."

"Oh-Ok! I'll be ready!" Chloe grinned nervously.

April nodded and blew out her breath.

"On more thing."

"Yes?"

"You need to stay away from Irma. I don't know what's going on with her, but I know that Jackson is dangerous. I don't want you around him, as long as "

Chloe set her jaw.

"Don't ask me to do that. She needs all the support she can get if she's going to break free from him. I just offered her that support, I can't just withdraw."

"That's my ultimatum." April replied, "I can't afford something happening to you, not after Paloma entrusted your safety to me. It is great that you reached out to her, but for now, wait until Jackson gets out of her life. Irma is a good person, but as long as Jackson is around, it's not safe to be around her."

Chloe was quiet. Her spirit pushed and shoved inside of her and she grit her teeth.

"Fine."

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Angel was on her way to her job when her prepaid phone rang. She groaned before picking it up.

"Yeah?"

"You're in luck, Angel. Your first job has come up. Meet us at West Stanley and J. Kirby Drive."

"Are you kidding, my shift is about to start!" Angel hissed.

"Your boss will understand. Be there." The call disconnected and Angel snarled.

"Son of a no-good, ass-bag, turd-knuckle." she swore loudly, changing her direction of walking. However, as she was heading to take the subway to her new destination, her real cellphone rang. She grunted as she grabbed it out of her back pocket and looked at the caller id.

It was an unknown number. She answered it anyway, ready to snap off someone's head if it turned out to be a telemarketer.

"Listen, Assbag, I ain't buying what you're selling, got it!?"

"... "

"Hello, who is this?"

"B-Birdie?" a timid, but familiar voice reached her ears.

Angel's heart thudded. She cocked her head.

"Irma, is that you?"

"Y-yeah."

"Goddamn, how long has it been?" Angel tried to keep her composure as she chuckled nervously.

"Too, long, Birdie." Irma replied sadly.

"Hey listen, right now really isn't a good time, uh-'"

"I'm sorry. I guess that's just like me." Irma laughed shakily.

"Naw, it's ok. Listen, I'll call you later, all right? We got a lot to talk about."

"We sure do."

"See you around, Irma."

"You too, Birdie."

Angel chuckled softly; unaware of her eyes welling with tears. It had been so long since she had heard that nickname.

Birdie...

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

(flashback 10 years)

"Why do you call me Birdie?" 8-year-old Bridgette suddenly asked, "I'm not a bird at all!"

"Sure you are! You're cheerful, sweet and you run so fast, you might as well be flying!" 14-year-old Irma grinned, "Plus, birds are super smart, and so are you!"

"Yeah, I guess I'm pretty cool." Angel said after a long thoughtful pause with a happy grin.

Irma chuckled and ruffled Bridgette's hair, "That's right you are! Don't ever let anyone tell you any different!"

Bridgette nodded in determination, responding," You're awesome too, Irma!"

Irma froze, blushing slightly as she smiled down at her friend, "Thanks, Birdie. That means a lot to me."

(End flashback)

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Irma swallowed her fear. She was going to do it. She was going to kick Jackson out. She didn't know when, and it sure as hell wasn't going to be tonight. Hearing Angel's voice, while it brought up awful memories, had been cathartic as well, reminding her of how good it felt to be around her. Angel had been the only person Irma had met who never made her feel like trash. And Chloe's confirmation in her had been an added source of happiness, something Irma hadn't felt in while.

Irma took a breath as she heard Jackson come in. She could make it. She could endure his presence a little longer until she could muster up the strength to tell him to get out.

Just not tonight.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Casey sat on the roof a little longer, talking with the guys after April left to go check on Chloe and Irma.

"So, this all just got really fucking complicated." Casey growled after a long silence.

"What do you want us to do, Casey?" Leo asked.

Casey shook his head.

"As long someone else is in danger, Angel's not gonna just quit. She's not that kind of person. We have to deal with Jackson first. April and I actually talked about him a few days ago because April suspected he abused Irma. I've been doing some digging, and there is an awful lot of suspicious activity surrounding that guy. I don't have any solid evidence yet, but you can bet your asses that's about to change."

Donatello had been really quiet during this time, looking up at the sky, he murmured to himself.

"What's that, Brainiac?" Raphael grumped, the only one near enough to realize that Donatello was speaking.

Donatello came out of his thoughts, his hazel brown eyes tranquil and bright the intensity of his thoughts.

"I was just thinking… No one's heard from the Foot, or their associates… right Casey?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"April told us that Eric Sacks said that the Foot Clan is based out of Japan, right? Maybe that's why we haven't been able to find Stockman or Bebop and Rocksteady. Maybe they haven't been here to begin with." Donatello reasoned.

Dead silence.

"But, if that's the case… they could be building their forces completely unhindered!" Leo realized, growing agitated.

"I've been thinking a lot about our encounter with the Krang, and how he yelled that he would be back-"

"-Dude, you're right! In all the comics, the bad guys always come back!" Mikey snapped his fingers, as he began to realize what Donatello was saying.

"-And if the Shredder returns to New York and tries to take back his territory, the city might not survive a turf war." Donatello continued, crossing his arms.

"So how do we stop it?" Raphael growled, as he turned from them to look over the city, narrowing his gaze.

"I…" Donatello scratched the back of his neck as his mind worked at the question, "I'm not sure. I don't know if we can, not without innocent people getting hurt. Like Angel and Irma." He added under his breath.

"Hey, hey, let's stay focused here." Casey growled, standing to his feet from the wall he had been leaning on. "I know once Irma's safe, Angel will want revenge on the assholes that hurt her friend. She'll be more then an asset. Not to mention the fact that… even if you guys are a secret to the city, those of us in the police force who know what you did for us… well, we're gonna back you up all the way. I promise. We're gonna nail these guys!"

Leo looked at his brothers before bowing his head, thinking on the situation that was unfolding.

Casey continued, "You guys keep doing what you're doing. See what they make Angel do, and keep an eye on Irma. I'm going to put Reid behind bars, I swear. Once that's done, I'm gonna talk to Angel."

"That's great Case, except, uh, how do you plan on telling her about how you found out about Irma?" Raph crossed his arms expectantly.

Mikey snorted, "Duh, he's gonna tell her, "Yo, Angel, I got some totally awesome friends I wanna introduce you too! Especially this guy, his name is Mikey and you should totally go out with him!"

Raph, Leo and Don groaned and Casey rolled his eyes, "You leave that to me, I'll think of something. Sorry Mikey, you're a great guy and all, but I couldn't do that to her."

"Ah, dude, not cool!" Mikey pouted.

Leo nodded, "Fine. It's settled then. We need to talk to Splinter, and tell him of what has come to pass. Maybe he'll have some information about the Japanese connection to the Foot."

Casey nodded.

"Sounds like a plan, Leo. Keep in touch, fellas," He turned to leave, but then remembered something. " Oh yeah, have you guys seen my hockey mask-"

He was talking to an empty rooftop. Snorting, Casey threw his hands up in the air, "Oh sure, just vanish, why don'tcha? Right when I'm asking the heavy questions!"

* * *

To all who have read this far, thank you!


	6. Bull In a China Shop pt1: MikeyVDragon

I just want to take this time to make a quick disclaimer:

I don't own any of the characters from the TMNT franchise.

I also want to thank everyone reading this story! You guys are awesome! :)

* * *

Chapter 5

Bull in a China Shop Pt1: Mikey VS Dragon

Baxter nervously adjusted his glasses as Karai examined his work, her beautiful eyes showing no signs of emotion as she analyzed the scene before her.

That scene involved the next generation of mutant soldiers that Baxter had created. There were two test subjects; an elite foot soldier who had failed miserably in retrieving an object of importance from a museum in London while the other had been one of Baxter's own scientific underlings, who had grossly miscalculated one of their earlier experiments, spelling disaster for the experiment and himself.

Rather then killing these pathetic pawns, Baxter had come up with the brilliant solution of giving said pawns a chance at redemption.

"You can die, or you can live and try to atone for your sins. It's up to you really." He had said with a careless shrug.

Both of them had obviously chosen to try to redeem themselves.

Karai surveyed them through the two-way glass.

"Erm, as you c-can see, this next generation of mutants are considerably smaller than the first, but I can assure you, they are no less dangerous, or subservient. Observe!"

He spoke into a microphone and the first subject in the room stood at attention as he spoke, "Subject 1, jump as high as you can!"

The fox mutant coiled down in a crouch before making an impressive leap, touching the top of the glass container. She had maintained all of her previous ninja training, and her new, animalistic qualities just enhanced her skills and strength… not to mention her intelligence.

"Excellent! Erm, whatever your best kata was, as a human, please perform that now."

The Fox sank down into a ready stance before perform said kata with absolute perfection, her speed and grace unparalleled.

"Good! Very good! Now, Subject 2, please recite the Fibonacci code up to the 20th sequence!"

Subject 2, a giant, crocodilian humanoid, looked up, his eyes slightly clouded over as he obeyed, reciting the numeral sequence quickly and perfectly, with no hesitation or mistakes.

"Good! Now, um that chair behind you? If you would be so kind as to break it."

The croc turned to the only chair in his room and simply swung his tail. The chair went flying with the impact of his tail swipe, splintering against the wall.

"See, now, these two have renewed their purpose! Kana is now swifter, stronger and more importantly, loyal to your cause. Chapman has maintained his intelligence, but now his body is physically durable and strong! Together, they will prove to be quite useful!"

Karai stroked her chin. She was indeed, quite impressed. Sparing Kana and Chapman would not have been her first choice, but Baxter had been very insistent on using them as test subjects.

"I want them sent to New York, ahead of Niko, to eliminate the turtles, before we do anything else and especially before she arrives there."

"Ah, yes, about that… I would like to recommend that Bebop and Rocksteady be sent along with them. They both worked for the Purple Dragons before they were incarcerated, and I believe, in spite of their inept intelligence, or lack thereof, they can provide necessary information! Not to mention that Kana and Chapman will have the necessary means to keep an eye on those two. They were quite useful to the master and although we did ultimately lose, it wasn't entirely their fault. In fact, if the Krang had not betrayed our master, as we suspect, then it is very probable that the battle in New York would have gone very differently!"

Karai turned to Baxter, contemplating his words. While she hated Bebop and Rocksteady, she knew they could serve as disposable assets at least.

"Very well. They will make an excellent distraction, in order to draw out the turtles."

"Ah! Yes! An excellent idea, mistress!" Baxter nodded eagerly.

Karai took notice of some labels on the rooms that the new subjects were in and frowned.

"Ninjara? Leatherhead-Stockman, what are these?" She gestured to the labels.

"Oh, Kelsey, my secretarial assistant, put those there. They are mock codenames I picked out for these two. Ninjara is subject one, while Leatherhead is obviously the second."

"I see. " Karai frowned and paid it no more mind.

"Debrief them both. I'll arrange their transportation."

"Very good, mistress!" Baxter nodded.

"What of your progress in finding Master Shredder?"

"Ah! Yes, follow me! I will show something most extraordinary!" Baxter exclaimed excitedly.

Karai rolled her eyes at his almost childish excitement. As they left, the two subjects relaxed, before settling back in their environment.

Kana crept over to the wall that separated her from Chapman; putting her ear to the wall she listened closely. Her fellow mutant was taking in deep breaths, almost like sobbing noises.

Kana snorted slightly as she drew back from the wall. How could he display such weakness? She shook her head, but still, something about the situation pulled at her heartstrings in a way she hadn't thought possible.

Kana hadn't chosen this life. She had been an orphan on the streets when the Foot took her in, and her training had seemed a matter of necessity, a way of surviving the harsh world that was her own. Then, she failed… she failed to reclaim that damn thing… what was it again?

 _The Time Scepter._

Her heart clenched in her chest. If only she HAD managed to snatch the damn thing… Instead, here she was, a freak of nature. Her own personal purgatory.

"Of all animals, it had to be a fox…" She almost snarled to herself.

Kana hated foxes.

She avoided her reflection and continued to listen to Chapman. She knew he was in his own personal hell just as much as she was.

"Chapman?" She called softly, knocking on the wall.

There was an abrupt silence.

"What do you want?" Came his harsh demand.

"I just want to ask if you're ok. I can hear you crying, you big baby."

"I-I am not," Came an indignant snarl from the other side of the wall.

"Sure you are." She replied. "And you need to stop. They can see us, you know."

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Chapman was obsessively squeezing his eyes shut, refusing to meet his own reflection's gaze. He had hurt himself, upon catching sight of his now monstrous body, and as he shivered in the room, by himself, he felt a panic attack coming on.

However, as he struggled to regulate his breathing, using every method he knew to calm his anxiety, he was distracted by a svelte voice, that came from the other side of the wall.

It was the other subject, the Foot soldier.

She was accusing him of-of crying.

He reared up, glaring at the blank wall, "I am NOT!"

"Sure you are. And you need to stop. They can see us, you know," Came her dull, muffled reply from the other side of the wall. Hesitantly, Chapman went to the wall, and put his monstrous hand against it. If possible, he was even taller then Bebop and Rocksteady, like some prehistoric dinosaur, but his body was more serpentine, probably leftover from his human body, which had always been wiry and thin.

His eyes glazed over slightly as he chuckled, "I know they can see us…"

"Then don't let them know you are weak. We have to be strong, if we're gonna get through this."

Chapman knew she was right. He wanted her to keep talking to him; his heart was slowing, and his breath was becoming more regular, so he spoke, hoping she would open up if he did first.

"I had always wanted to work with Baxter Stockman. His work is beyond genius, and I couldn't believe it when I was chosen as one of his assistants. God… How stupid was I to think that I could actually survive here?" Chapman laughed softly, putting a hand to his horrified face.

He heard a snort from the other side. "We are but pawns in the great game, Chapman. The sooner you realize this, the better."

Chapman took a breath and shook his head.

"How can I even argue that? I'm not even a man anymore. I'm a monster." He finally dared to gaze down at his claws, hissing as he examined them. His skin was now tough, bumpy and a dark, mottled green/brown. His weird fingers had mutated to form only four digits on each hand, tipped with vicious, ripping claws. True, he was stronger, more physically adapted to survive in harsh environments then he used to be… But he would never know the touch of human love again. Not that love was something he had been overwhelmingly familiar with to start.

"Of all the things I could have mutated into… " He murmured.

He turned back to the wall.

"What is your name again?" He enquired hesitantly.

"It doesn't even matter. I'm just subject 1."

"It _does_ matter. My name is-"

"Stop. It does NOT matter, and we are _not_ friends. We are merely allies. I do not need to know your name."

Chapman sank against the wall, looking up to the ceiling.

He didn't know it, but Kana was doing the same. Neither one knew the other, but now they were invariably linked by their circumstances.

A few moments later, Kana started chuckling.

"What it is?" Chapman asked.

"I was supposed to steal this thing called "the Time Scepter"… it supposedly uses psychic energy to transport you to any time, place or dimension. Mistress Karai figured that if all else failed, perhaps we could harness the power of the scepter to find and rescue Master Shredder… Now, I just want to steal that thing so I can go back to how I used to be."

Chapman became thoughtful.

"After everything that's happened, I'm not sure I _disbelieve_ the possibility that there's such an object. Although I find it hard to believe that this object is magic."

"I do. I've seen things here that you wouldn't believe." Kana replied bitterly.

Chapman smiled gently, opening his eyes and taking a deep breath. The feeling of isolation and fear was slowly ebbing, as much as he knew Kana meant him no friendship, her voice still put him a ease. He was not alone in this hell.

"I believe you." He replied to her declaration.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

(Back in New York)

Unwillingly, Chloe awoke at the ungodly hour of 4:30. She was determined to get her run in before the day started. As she slithered from her bed and dragged herself across the floor, she mumbled, "I can't wait to get hands on some caffeine."

30 minutes later, she was brushed, face washed and leaving the apartment to go on her jog. Locking the door, she took a deep breath.

"Let's do this."

45 minutes later, she was climbing back up the stairs, sweating profusely, muscles aching and a warm glow in her cheeks. Her forehead was slick with sweat and her overall appearance was exhausted.

As she walked down the hall toward her door, 308 opened up and Jackson Reid stepped out, ready for work and suited in his police uniform.

Chloe almost paused but steeled herself as she pushed on. Her stomach knotted uncomfortably as he noticed her and grinned in a wolf-like manner.

" 'Morning, cutie. You look like you're in need of a shower." He grinned.

She colored, growing tense as she brusquely shrugged and went to unlock her door. Her cheeks reddened as he caught her arm, "Hey, no need to be so rude! What's the matter, not a morning person?"

She jerked her arm out of his grip and snorted, "Yeah, that's right, and there's also the fact that I don't know you, and I don't like men who think that they can just address me as "babe" or "Cutie" like I'm some sort of lost dog, which I assure you, I am not!"

Jackson smirked, "Oh you're feisty huh? I like that."

"You're gonna like it a whole lot less in a hot second. Do me a favor and leave me the hell alone. Stop being such a creep!" Chloe growled hotly as she opened her door and walked in, finally escaping him.

She breathed heavily, her heart pounding in her head as her stomach turned knots. She hated confrontation; she hated men like Jackson who held no respect for anyone except themselves and boldly treated others however they wanted with no thought for anyone except what themselves.

"Chloe, you ok?" April asked, concerned, as she caught sight of Chloe, who looked shaken.

Chloe looked at her and nodded, cheeks still red.

"It's that creep that Irma lives with. He's… he doesn't deserve to even lick the dust off her shoes." Chloe said vehemently, her eyes flashing, "He's actually trying to flirt with me, while he's living with her! Who does he think he is?" She snarled," I wanted to punch him in his stupid throat so bad."

"I know, me too." April nodded, "But don't do that, unless you're being threatened."

Chloe nodded curtly as she went to grab her clothes to change into after her shower.

April shook her head, and prayed that Casey would find Jackson guilty of something soon.

45 minutes later, they were in Vern's new van, on their way to channel 6.

"So… Chloe, right? You're from Texas?" Vern glanced at the newcomer in the van mirror with some interest.

"Yup." Chloe nodded.

"Cool, that's cool… um you know, you don't have to hide your accent." Vern smiled kindly and indulgently, missing the look of incredulousness from April, who immediately moved into a face-palm.

Chloe quirked a smile, "You must be thinking of the South. Texas is technically south _west_ , so, the accent is a little more subtle. Trust me, I'm not hiding anything."

"Oh, yeah, I uh, I knew that!" Vern chuckled, sweating a little.

Chloe laughed, "It's a common mistake, no worries. I honestly expected you two to have some weird accents."

"Oh, you mean, like, a Bronx accent?" Vern chuckled, imitating said Bronx accent.

Chloe giggled, "Yeah."

Vern sobered slightly as he looked at April, who was reviewing her notes, "So… you really want to take on a story about the Old Purple Dragon gang? God, I barely remember those days…"

April looked up in surprise, "You knew about them?"

"Well, I was born on the tail end of their reign, so yeah, but the Foot Clan stomped them out fast. I was one of the lucky ones. The Purple Dragons really ruined a lot of lives." Vern said, recalling talks with older reporters, police officers; People who had been ruined when they had tried to uncover the Purple Dragon menace.

"Why did they call themselves the Purple Dragons? I mean… it sounds like a lame name. Like something a little kid would do." Chloe questioned.

"They called themselves dragons because they were ruthless. And they used the adjective Purple, because of how many people they killed. They squeezed the life out of so many people. According to some old rumors, the real and true gang leader was the exiled Prince of some foreign country. So, Purple also referred to that lineage of royalty."

Chloe had her sketchpad out and was drawing out a dragon, with huge wings. They gulfed the dragon's body, and she added shadows, so that the only thing that was visible were the dragon's swings and glowing, menacing eyes. "But if they were stomped out-"

"There's evidence that they're back." April looked back at Chloe, her eyes determined, "But I'm not gonna let them operate in the shadows. Not this time. I exposed the foot clan, and I'm gonna expose these sons of bitches too, before anyone else gets hurt."

Chloe cocked her head, "Anyone else?"

At that moment, however, they arrived at Channel six and Chloe forgot her question as her anxiety and nervousness bubbled up in her mouth.

Show time.

 _Fake it until you make it, Chloe! You can do this!_

She scratched absently at her fingerless gloves, and April, having noticed the gloves since she met Chloe, finally asked, "You wear those a lot, are you cold?"

"Oh! Yeah, I have circulation issues. My fingers get cold real easy, so these things help a lot." Chloe nodded as she squeezed her hands together self-consciously.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Angel woke stiffly, her back aching from the worn out mattress she slept on.

"Ugh… What? How did I get here?" She grunted, "Easy recruitment, my ass!"

She sat up carefully, feeling a bruise on her side, and tried to wrack her brains for memories.

Ok. She didn't remember coming back to her apartment. What did she remember?

Angel recalled being on her way to work. The dragons called her and changed her plans. She started to head down to the location they gave her, when Irma had called.

Angel hurriedly dug into her pocket and sighed in relief, seeing her phone, unharmed. No battery though. Goddamnit.

She plugged it into the wall charger, moving carefully, breathing slow. She didn't think her ribs were cracked, but it was obvious she had been in some sort of fight, and had actually gotten hit. Strange. What else did she remember?

She glanced at her wrist and her blood ran cold. An image of a dragon was _tattooed there in white ink._

 _Like pieces from a broken puzzle, it came to her._

They had lied to her. Last night had been no simple recruitment. It was a shake-down, a message to be sent to all the underworld.

One of the newer players that had sprung up after the Shredder vanished, a small, upstart drug cartel, which had worked under the Shredder, had been the target.

Angel was told to go to them, to bargain.

Her job was to give them the illusion of a chance to join. As a tiny, young female, she incited overconfident arrogance in the drug dealers. Their response to her invitation had been a blatant and very rude negative response.

Angel promptly and swiftly got out of the way of the Purple Dragons, who took the upstart cartel completely by surprise.

"So ya don't wanna join? That's too bad, you don't have a choice!"

The cartel was outnumbered, outgunned, and their attitude of arrogant cockiness served the purposes of the Dragons just fine.

Angel swallowed hard at the memory. God… there had been nothing she could do. The shakedown brought back too many memories from her youth.

The Dragon thugs beat the cartel members within an inch of their lives and only after completely spitting on their wounds, leaving with the message, "Tell your boss that he WILL pay us the percentage we require… or next time, it will be HIS funeral."

Then… Something had happened. They took her with them… she squeezed her eyes shut, grasping her wrist with pain and anger. She couldn't remember. They must have tattooed her against her will, because she would have NEVER consented to wearing the dragon. Not even for Irma's sake.

But that didn't answer her question.

How… how the hell had she gotten back to her apartment? And exactly WHO beat her up?

Angel winced as her phone finally buzzed on. She had a major headache coming on. But it was nothing compared to the pit in her stomach at the sight of the mark of the purple dragon.

"Gottamn-sonuvva-turd-monkey-ass-wipe."

She muttered as she dug her phone out of her pocket to check it. Irma hadn't tried calling again, and Angel flinched guiltily.

She hit the call button and waited, biting her lip.

After a few rings, the phone picked up and Irma's voice enquired, "Hello?"

"Hi Irma."

"Birdie! Oh thank goodness, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I work a tough night shift. But, still alive, heh." Angel muttered, hand grasping her wrist, covering the painful mark as she asked, "And you? Are you ok?"

"I, uh, I'm fine. Um, listen, I'm sorry about the other night. Jackson… is um-"

"A complete asshole that has no business living with you?" Angel cocked a brow, as Irma didn't even try to deny it.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?"

"I, um…" Angel bit her lip. She wasn't sure how much she could _tell_ Irma. Finally, she settled with her original message, "Look, I don't know for sure, but, Casey Jones, a friend of mine, who's a detective, he came around a few days ago, asking me about… about Owen and Anton. I haven't seen hide nor hair of 'em, except when they showed up on the news as… what they are now."

Irma was deathly quiet on the other end, finally taking a breath, Angel added, "Look, I didn't want to worry you but-"

"N-no, it's ok. I haven't heard from them either… not for a long time."

"Yeah. Hey, if you get wind of them, let me know, ok? I don't want them on the streets, they were mildly dangerous and annoying before, but now…" Angel shook her head with disgust, "They're weapons of mass destruction."

"Got it. I'll do that Birdie. How, um, how is your Nana?"

Angel sighed, looking away. Damn it. Irma had to ask.

"Oh no." Irma gasped as Angel's silence spoke volumes, "No… Oh god, no. Angel, I-I'm so sorry. Fuck! I'm so, so sorry, Birdie!"

"Irma, it wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault." Angel replied quietly. "It was just her time to go."

"No, that's not it…Birdie… I'm sorry I left you." Irma clenched her fists, her eyes burning with tears that she staunchly refused to let go as the words she had longed to speak came out, of their own accord.

Angel went still, as words she never thought she would hear rang through her head.

"What I did was low, and selfish. I had no right to leave you alone the way I did… I… I just thought… I thought you didn't need me."

Angel took a sharp intake of breath, her chest aching, her anger, bitterness and confusion all rising to grip her heart as she spoke low and with a hissing tone, "Irma, what you did hurt me. It's hurt for a very, _very_ long time. I'm not ready to forgive you..."

Angel slumped against the wall, her dark eyes glazed over as she recalled how often she had wish Irma was there.

But… that lack of a reassuring presence… had aided her in making herself stronger, independent. Who knows how things would have been if Irma had stayed? Would they have been any better? Any worse?

"It's… it's ok. I understand. You have the right to feel the way you do. It was selfish of me to apologize out of the blue like this…" Irma replied in shaky tones.

"I need to go, Irma… but don't be a stranger, ok?" Angel finally sighed, admitting, "It was good to hear from you."

"Ok, Birdie. Thanks for calling. I don't know how… but I'm going to make it up to you. I promise. Take care."

"You too." Angel hung up the phone and smacked her forehead with her palm. "Why couldn't I just say I forgive her?" She grunted. Angel knew it was the right thing to do… but something in her heart caught a snag at the thought.

Angel groaned as she finally stood up and stretched, popping vertebrae in her back and hissing in pain from her bruises.

Whatever. Time to hit the gym. Maybe her memories would come back later.

Angel grabbed her gear, but then stopped when she stepped on something that crunched under her shoes. Looking down, she frowned. Cowrie shells. The kind that were used for necklaces… there were a TON of them on the floor.

What the hell? Who did she know that wore stuff like this?

She bent down and examined the mess.

"Huh. What the actual fuck?"

She paused. A gleam of a memory wavered in her mind, like an image underwater.

She was being carried; by strong, thick arms that wrapped around her protectively… someone HAD brought her back to her apartment. Angel couldn't remember who it had been, but she remembered these beads. She had grabbed onto them, while unconscious, and… she must have pulled them off whoever had been carrying her.

Angel picked one up thoughtfully. She hasn't sure what she was feeling, but unease and anxiety were definitely high on the spectrum of her emotions.

Was… it someone from the Purple Dragons? Or… could it be a new player?

"Turd nuggets." She hissed as she walked out into the early morning light.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Channel 6 was like a beehive. That was the thing that really struck Chloe. As the young woman followed after April, trying to keep her cool and fulfilling each task to the best of her ability, she began to get a sense… that someone was watching them. The feeling trickled through her ribcage, and played havoc on her anxiety.

"Chloe, you ok?"

"Oh, yes! I'm fine!" Chloe chuckled nervously. She covertly looked around, trying to figure out why she felt that way. But everyone at the TV station seemed entirely busy and not at all concerned with April or her temp.

 _This is weird… I don't like this feeling. Ugh, and it's only 8:30 a.m.?!_

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Mikey came bursting into the Lair, sweat beading his forehead as he hollered, "LEO! Leo! Leo! Leo-!"

"WHAT?!" Leo exploded, as Mikey came racing into his room, repeatedly calling his name. The older brother paused, as he saw the genuine panic in Mikey's usually cheerful face. Not only that, but Leo also immediately noticed the absence of Mikey's favorite cowrie shell necklace.

"Leo, man, I, I messed up!" Mikey said in a rush, almost breathless, "I know you said to just follow her, and make sure that she didn't get hurt, but then they hit her, and then they dragged her into a building, and I- I-"

"Mikey slow down!" Leo grabbed his bother by the shoulders and held him firmly, forcing Mikey to stop, "Calm down. Take a deep breath."

Mikey paused and closed his eyes, trying to make an effort. His stomach was still twisting, but he wasn't shaking anymore at least.

"Now what happened?" Leo questioned, trying to remain calm himself. Mikey had been assigned to watch Angel, and it was supposed to be a simple thing. Just follow her and watch what she did.

So for Mikey to be _this_ panicked, something bad happened. Leo steeled himself for the worse.

"Ok, ok. I'm calm." Mikey took a few more breaths before diving into his story, "I was following Angel to her job at the bar, and you know, it was the usual thing. But then-"

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

(5 hours ago)

It was Mikey's turn to escort Angel that night. He was excited at the prospect, but also nervous.

This was technically his first time on his own, without any of his brother around to hang out and joke with. If something went wrong, it was all on him.

"No sweat, Mikester! You got this!" He told himself with confidence he didn't feel.

His heart went bump-a-bump when he saw Angel. She was wearing that big jacket she normally donned, ripped jeans and a black beanie over her pink dyed hair. Mikey admired her from the shadows, wishing he could approach her. True, she wasn't as filled-out as April was, but there was something about her lanky frame, her cute face and those dark eyes that he found riveting.

"Don't worry, baby girl, I got your back!" He grinned as he began following, sticking to the rooftops and blending with the shadows. The moon was waning, and the dark blue shadows were his close friends, as Angel cast a look behind her every now and then in suspicion.

Mikey frowned as Angel suddenly stopped, answering her prepaid cellphone that the Purple Dragon guys had given her.

Her expression darkened. When the call ended, she turned on her heel, snarling a string of weird expletives that absolutely turned Mikey on his head.

He snickered, "Heh, heh, turd-knuckle… Gotta remember that one."

Watching carefully, Mikey used his incredible agility to follow her down into the subway, which was quite empty at this hour.

"What are you up to, Angel?" He murmured quietly as he hopped on the same train. Literally though, he was on the roof, hanging on tight as the subway went _whoosh._

Half an hour later, Angel was standing in front of a large, industrial building that wasn't quite abandoned. Mikey frowned as five rather large dudes came out from the shadow of the alley, all of them butt-ugly and sporting the mark of the purple dragon on some part of their skin.

"Right on time, Angel." One of them chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah, so who am I recruiting?" Angel growled dismissively, on edge and grumpy.

"You better watch your tone, _girly_." Thug number two sneered at her.

"Easy Tommy, she's just cranky cause she's missing her shift, right, Sweetie?" The first thug grinned.

"Yeah, sure, can we get to the point?" Angel stuck her hands in her pockets, looking defiant.

Mikey cracked his knuckles, glaring daggers at the creeps who were taunting Angel.

"This building's the head-quarters to a drug cartel. The boss wants to send them a message. You go in, and offer them a spot."

"And if they refuse?"

"That's your problem."

"Oh, gee, thanks. Glad there's no pressure."

Mikey bit his lip, alarmed as Angel walked into the building, out of sight.

"Oh shell, oh no, what do I do?"

"Heh, she's gonna come flying like a bat out hell in a hot second." Tommy chuckled, and Thug number 1 hissed, "shut up, bone head! Get into place!"

"What are you assholes planning anyway?" Mikey squinted. He didn't have to wait long, because 2 minutes later, Angel came barreling out of the building, fear and aggression painted in alarming highlights on her face.

Four other guys came running after her. Mikey almost acted, but halted in his tracks when the purple dragons came out, blindsiding Angel's pursuers.

"You… you set me up!" Angel snarled in accusation at her "employers."

"SHUT UP, GIRLY." Snarled the one called Tommy.

The four guys who came from the building shook with nervous energy, one piping up, "Hey, guys, uh, c'mon now, we don't have to fight-"

"Oh really? From the looks of it, you were going to give our innocent little errand girl a beat down. Let us demonstrate what happens when you mess with the purple dragons!"

What followed was the most inhumane beat-down Mikey had ever seen. Angel stood, frozen in shock, her eyes wide and angry.

Four cracked jaws, broken arms and splintered ribs later, Thug number 1 spat on the body of the dude who had tried to talk them down, sneering, "Tell your boss that the Purple dragons will HAVE their 60%. If not, all you scum will get more of the same!"

Mikey cut his eyes back to Angel, who was trembling, whether with Anger or fear, he wasn't sure. His own emotions were waxing hot. Even though he knew the guys who had chased Angel were just as criminal as the Purple Dragons; the cruelty with which they had been dealt was just not justified in the slightest.

Not to mention the fact that they had literally just used Angel as glorified bait had Mikey's blood boiling. He itched to get out there and tell them to pick on someone their own size, but so far, the dragons hadn't threatened Angel directly.

"You did great, Angel! That was perfect!" Thug number 1 grinned, as they turned to her.

"You… you guys are monsters." Angel growled.

"Not as much of a monster as you. You led them out here, remember that." Tommy grinned.

"I didn't ask for this! For any of it!" Angel sighed, looking away, "Whatever, I'm going home."

"Actually, there's one more thing." Thug Number 1 smirked, grabbing Angel's arm as se turned to leave. Mikey tensed at the action, eyes never leaving the scene as he felt for a smoke bomb from his pocket. Indecision gnawed at him. He knew that if he messed up, both Angel and Irma could get hurt. The Hashi didn't even occur to him as he sweated in anxious anticipation.

"LET. ME. GO." Angel snarled, her eyes blazing as she turned to glare.

"Now, now, you're one of us now. So it's time you got the mark." The guy pointed to his shoulder, where a Purple dragon nested.

"No. I don't want your filthy gang tattoo."

"If you don't, then your little friend is gonna get the Mark for you." Tommy snarled.

Angel quivered, her eyes twitching, her fists clenched.

"FINE."

"Atta girl." Thug number 1 purred, "Our tattoo shop ain't far. Let's go."

Mikey breathed a sigh of relief as he put the smoke bomb back. He followed silently, contemplating. Should he try to get rid of the thugs, and save Angel from having to get the tattoo? But then Angel might see him. And that would cause problems.

But if she got the mark of the dragon…

"Time to call Leo." Mikey grabbed his shell-cell. His eyes widened as it went straight to voicemail.

"Oh no! C'mon guys!"

He tried calling again, going down the line. Leo, Donnie, and Raph… no one answered.

"Um, Splinter?"

Still nothing.

"I guess it's up to me. No problem! I, uh…" Mikey stopped short as he realized something. They had arrived at the tattoo shop… but Angel had changed her mind and was struggling, protesting, "Wait, wait, isn't there someway for this to NOT happen?"

"You're going to get that mark whether you like it or not!" Tommy swatted Angel ruthlessly across the face and she went limp as they carried her body into the shop.

Mikey didn't think. The butterflies left his stomach; a steeling resolve hardened in his chest as he saw red.

"Hang on Angel!" He snarled, springing into action. He just hoped that he wouldn't be too late.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

(Tattoo shop, 4 hours later)

In the very same tattoo parlor, fresh spray paint was drying on the wall. Windows were shattered, and broken glass littered the floor.

In the midst of this, the employees stared, speechless and terrified, as their boss walked in, crunching broken glass under his thick boots. The man was huge, a solid 7 feet tall and extremely broad shouldered, dressed in a nice, expensive suit. An aura that sucked all joy from the atmosphere radiated from him like a vacuum.

The five thugs that had coerced Angel into the participation of last night's events were lying unconscious on the ground, thoroughly beaten to shit, to put it lightly.

The boss held a cigar in his mouth, which burned low, trailing a faint scent of bitter smoke in the air.

"B-boss, see? It's the s-same sign that the vigilantes that brought down the Shredder would leave. They're-they're onto us!" One of the employees finally dared utter.

The Boss blew out smoke, his eyes smoldering as he took in the image that was drying on the wall of his establishment.

"I see. And what became of Angel?"

"It…it took her!"

"Did you imbeciles finish marking her?"

"Y-yeah! We had just finished when… when that _thing broke in_." The artist shuddered at the memory.

The Boss looked back at the wall. He clenched his teeth.

On the wall, painted in orange and black, was the Japanese symbol for _family_. The symbol was stabbed like a knife into a crude but effective image of a dead serpent, painted in purple.

"What did it look like?"

"Th-the lights had gone out and… well, it wasn't human! And it was huge! Like a freaking monster!"

"But it wasn't Bebop or Rocksteady, correct?"

"I… I don't think so, Boss. It didn't sound like them, and they didn't do tags like this… but we didn't get a good look at it, so I can't say for sure." The tattoo artist gulped, still shaken by the events of last night.

The boss took another drag from his cigar. The smoke flitted over his face. Three monstrous scars lined his face, reminders of a distant past.

"Find Angel. Do whatever you have to, to track her down, but don't hurt her. Even if Bebop and Rocksteady _aren't_ back, we'll need her. Someone get Jackson to see if Irma has spoken to Angel at all, and if she has, what they talked about."

"Got it, Boss."

"On second thought." The boss took another puff of his cigar before grinning, "I'll call her myself."

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

(3 hours earlier)

Mikey managed to enter Angel's apartment without being spotted, even in the graying light that was stretching across the city. As he carried her in, her head lolled against his chest. His breath caught in his throat. She was so close to him. Her scent permeated his senses, and as he drank in the sight of her, her face scrunched slightly.

Her eyes fluttered slightly and she murmured groggily, "Nana?"

"Shh, it's alright, dudette. You're safe." Mikey responded gently, hoping that she would stay asleep as he carried her in. Angel was so pretty, and he swallowed as he avoided looking at the new mark on her wrist.

"God… I'm so sorry, Angel."

Reaching up, her hand grasped at his cowrie shell necklace, but Mikey didn't notice, as he searched for a place to lay her down. Finding her bed (it was just a futon mattress strewn on the ground) he laid her down gently. As he stood back up, his necklace broke, scattering beads everywhere.

Mikey winced, the darkness of night was going, and if he didn't hurry home, he would be put into the hashi for sure.

"Stay safe, Angel." He told her, brushing her hair out of her face before he left, quietly as he'd come, and completely forgetting about his necklace as her peaceful expression engraved itself into his mind.

Well, almost. By the time he'd remembered the broken necklace it was too late.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

(Present)

"Ok, let me get this straight." Leo had his head in his hand. By this time, Raph and Donatello had found themselves in Leo's room, listening to Mikey as he tried to piece his story together coherently, his blue eyes shaken, and his fists trembling.

"They took Angel to a tattoo parlor against her will. You managed to kill the electricity, and you entered the building, _left our signature on the building wall_ , and took Angel back to her apartment. AND SHE SAW YOU?!"

"No, dude, I swear, she was waaaaaay out of it!" Mikey paused and his eyes fell slightly as he admitted, "But I left my necklace there. At her apartment." Mikey looked down at his feet. Sheepishly, he muttered, "I didn't know what to do… I just wanted to protect her."

"But why did you tag the building?" Leo frowned.

"Heh, well…" Mikey scratched his head, unable to give a simple answer. Tagging the wall had just been an act of pure retaliation.

"Now they'll be on their guard, not to mention you may have put Angel into even MORE danger!" Leo groaned.

"Hey, if you ask me, Mikey did the right thing, Leo!" Raph grunted, uncrossing his arms and putting a hand on Mikey's shoulder, "Look, it was bound to happen sooner or later, and who knows what else they would have done to her! You remember what that scumbag nearly did to that tiny little girl back when we were kids! That was forever ago, and even _I_ remember it! She was more then half his size and he was beating her to a pulp! For no reason! So what makes you think they would have just left Angel with a tattoo and nothing else?" Raph had crossed his arms again, as Leo looked up at him.

"Why didn't you guys answer your phones? I tried calling." Mikey pouted.

Donnie raised his hand sheepishly, "Sorry Mikey, that was on me. I, um, I was doing some upgrades on the phones, and they were probably turned off. Speaking of which, I'll need yours."

Mikey frowned, "Dude, seriously? I could have died! _Angel_ could have died!"

Donatello scratched his head, embarrassed, "I know. I'm sorry. Are you ok? Did you get hurt at all?"

"Eh, I got some cuts from broken glass, but nothing I couldn't handle!" Mikey grinned as he showed off some Hello-Kitty Band-Aids on his arms.

Raphael growled," Hey! Those are mine!"

"No way dude, we agreed! I called the Hello Kitty!"

"We did Rock paper Scissors, shell-fer-brains! And I won! Rock beats scissors!"

"Pfft yeah right! You just don't wanna wear Thomas the Tank Engine!"

Leo took a breath, tuning out his brothers bickering and trying to let go of his disappointment and apprehension. The damage was done and they would just have to roll with whatever happened next. Not to mention the fact that Raphael had a point. He wouldn't have chosen this as their first direct dealing with the Purple Dragons, but this was the hand they'd been dealt.

"Ok, what's done is done. I appreciate your honesty, thanks for telling me what happened, Mikey. I know you did your best, and to be honest, I can't say that any of us would have done differently in your place. It sounds like the only clue they have on us is the signature, so we'll just have to be very careful when we use it next time. We don't want to give ourselves away too much."

"Dude, I drew a dragon too! With the symbol stabbing into its back!" Mikey grinned a little, Raph chuckled, "Oh sweet! Wish I could have seen that!"

"And Angel was ok when you left her?"

"Yeah dude. I mean, she had bruises, but I don't think there was anything serious. No broken bones, and she was breathing fine." Mikey reported.

Raphael gave him a look.

"Lucky you, huh? Dija play doctor?"

"Ew, no, dude! She was unconscious! Why? You jelly, bro?" Mikey defended himself as Raphael grinned lecherously.

"Can we focus, please? Besides, while I was reviewing the security footage, I saw something. This is from this morning." Donatello interjected, flipping open his cell phone, he brought up video footage outside of April's apartment… they all saw it.

Chloe had exited the building, and someone had emerged from the alleyway after her. Donatello froze the image and they saw a hint of purple ink on the guy's neck. A closer look revealed a purple serpentine image curling around the guy's ear.

Fast-forward a few minutes, and Chloe came back from her run, the same creep following her discreetly and stopping just outside the apartment building.

"So, I'm gonna say that someone's probably watching April. I don't know if they know that Chloe's with April, but I think we should assume that they do." Donatello observed. "

Leo frowned as he left his room, he others following behind him.

He flipped on the TV to Channel 6 and they all breathed in relief when they saw April's face, giving some light fluffy report. Even though she didn't show it, they could tell she was miffed.

"Man, April's always so hot. How is that even possible, it's like super early!" Mikey yawned.

"Wait a second…" Leo squinted as he realized something was off.

He blinked as he realized that April was being watched from the background. It was very, very subtle, and Leo only realized because it was the same guy who had tailed Chloe. April was being followed.

"Donnie, send April a text. Tell her what we found and send a picture of the creep following her."

"On it, Leo!" Donatello nodded. Raph ground his teeth as he muttered, "I'll call Casey and tell him too. Can you send me a copy of that picture, Donnie? Maybe Casey can run a background check on the guy, find out who he is."

"That's a good idea, Raphael." Leo nodded in agreement.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Chloe was getting more and more uncomfortable as the morning dragged into noon. Not because of the work, the work was great! She was enjoying working with April, and the new environment, while kind of overwhelming, refreshed her.

But that nagging feeling of being watched was really starting to get to her.

"Earth to Chloe! C'mon!"

April waved her hand in front of Chloe's face, "You awake in there?"

"Oh, yes, heh, sorry." Chloe blinked rapidly.

"We're done here, time to go out and find some sources to interview."

"Ok! How do we do that exactly?"

April smiled, "Well, I already have a few sources on my list that we can talk to."

"Ok, cool!" Chloe thumbed up as she grinned.

"Um, we're gonna have to walk though. That ok?"

"Walk? In New York?"

April had to laugh a little at the stars in Chloe's eyes.

"Yeah let's go!" The quiet girl whooped. She froze as heads turned and blushed, "Um, I mean, yeah, let's go." She repeated in a hushed voice.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Casey Jones felt a major headache coming on. He was up to his ears in paperwork and sighed in frustration as the captain stared down at him with crossed arms.

"Jones, this is the second time you've crossed a line in the interrogation room!"

"Hey, that guy was asking for it! Literally, he said, 'hit me'!"

"No, he said, 'what do you think you're gonna do, hit me?' And that is entirely beside the point!"

"Captain, I really, really don't have time for an anger management class!" Casey crossed his arms, leaning back. "And besides! I handle my anger a whole lot better then half the guys on the force!"

"I mean it Jones, reel it in! You may have gotten away with a few stints before you promotion, but now you can't afford to make yourself a liability!"

"Alright, Captain, I get the picture."

"This is your final warning. You put another toe out of line and I'm assigning you to anger management!"

The Captain paused before sighing, putting a hand to his forehead. With a quieter voice, he asked, "How is your investigation going?"

"It's certain, Captain. The Purple Dragon Gang is back. There was a raid on the docks last night, and the dragon tag was there. An exact replica of the tag they used 40 years ago."

"Any witnesses?"

"None that are talking. It's just like the old days all over again." Jones growled angrily.

The Captain leaned down, hushing his voice even more.

"Can we count on your friends to give us a hand?"

"They're already doing everything they can. I don't have any evidence yet, but I think the dragons are targeting family members of Bebop and Rocksteady. The guys are monitoring the situation."

"Alright. Keep me informed, Jones."

"Will do sir!"

As the Captain turned away, Casey's cell hone buzzed.

It was a text from Raphael. Casey frowned as he read the message, his eyes narrowing.

"So, this guy is stalking April, huh?" He frowned. He could swear he'd seen that guy somewhere before.

"Welp, time to get to work." Casey muttered as he ran a trace, to identify April's stalker. He paused as he noticed Jackson Reid out of the corner of his eye. Damn it, he still hadn't found anything on that slippery snake.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~87

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Angel swung at the punching bag, her eyes focused and narrowed. Sweat dripped off her face and ran down her spine in rivulets, but she didn't care.

Her memories were still foggy from last night. She had wrapped her arm up with a bandage, covering the new tattoo and pondering what to do next.

"Yo, Angel, what'd that bag do to you?"

Angel looked up as her gym buddy, Keno, came walking over. Angel grunted at him, as she paused in her workout to take a swig of water.

"A whole lot, buddy. A whole lot."

"Dude, you don't look so hot. Have you been sleeping alright?" Keno looked at her in concern. He'd only known her for about a year and this was the extent of their interactions, but Keno could tell she had a lot on her mind. Not that it was any of his business.

Angel gave him a half grin.

"Naw, dude. I don't sleep well anymore."

"Well, take it easy, yeah?" Keno punched her on the arm, grinning," You up for a rematch?"

"Sure, Keno." Angel smiled. A good sparring match sounded perfect right now.

"Alright! And THIS time, I'm going to tap you out!" Keno smirked.

"Hah, just try it! I'll put you through the wringer, kiddo!" Angel smirked back.

She froze, however, as she heard the distinct ring of her prepaid phone.

"Um, you go ahead and warm up. I gotta take this."

Angel grabbed the phone and waited until Keno had walked over to the boxing ring before answering the phone.

"Hello?"

"Angel. Long time no see."

Angel stiffened. She knew that voice.

"… Mr. Hun. What a surprise."

"Indeed. I heard you officially joined the Purple Dragons. I just wanted to congratulate you."

"Oh, thanks, um, sir." Angel winced, her sweat running cold.

"By the way, I heard that there was… an incident. You had some issue with our mark. As a result, one of my finest tattoo parlors was trashed. Care to explain?"

Angel took a breath and spoke frankly, "Sir, it's true, I didn't want the mark, and I think you know why. I did resist, however, I am not responsible for what happened after. I was knocked unconscious, and I woke up in my apartment. I've been trying to remember how I got there, but nothing's coming to me. So please. Please don't take it out on Irma."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about Irma. Whoever trashed my parlor is the real priority. I want you to find out who did it. Think you can handle that?"

Angel's knees shook and she swallowed, "I… I can try."

"Good."

The call ended and Angel slowly put her phone back in her gym bag.

"HEY! Angel! You gonna take all day?"

"Coming!" Angel called back to Keno without looking at him. Her brown eyes narrowed and she bit her lip.

" _Damn it. I am so screwed."_

* * *

Thank you for reading!

Guest: Thank you for leaving a review! I think this is the most complicated story I've written. It's different from my other stories, but I'm gonna persevere!

To anyone following this story, thank you! I will continue to do my best!


	7. When It Rains…

AN: Thank you to everyone following this story, and to those who have reviewed! :') Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6

Interlude:

When It Rains…

* * *

"Oh boy, doc, d'ya mean it?" Rocksteady and Bebop were both brimming with excitement. They had just been informed of their impending trip back to the Big Apple and both were already looking like kids on Christmas… really, really ugly kids…

Baxter Stockman rubbed his eyes tiredly as he patiently replied, "Yes, you are to be shipped out to New York immediately. However! You are to follow the leadership of Ninjara and Leatherhead. Your job is to draw out those freaks, the turtles, and eliminate them! After that, we will focus our attention on reclaiming New York from the Purple Dragons."

Baxter lowered his voice as he added, "I've spoken with Ninjara and Leatherhead. They understand that they are to give you some leeway when it comes to… satisfying some of your urges. However, you will be severely punished if you defy them in any way, shape or form. Do you understand?"

"Aye-Aye, Cap'n!" Rocksteady exclaimed boisterously, mock saluting as he raised his fist to crash into Bebop's offered fist, the two of them celebrating, "WE'RE GOING HOME!"

Baxter blew out his breath, as he tried to wait for them to calm down.

"There's one more thing I need from the two of you."

"What's that, doc?" Bebop noticed the haggard look in Baxter's eyes.

"April O'Neil… I want you to capture her, alive and unharmed, and bring her back here."

"You got it, doc!" Bebop smirked, "I'd want her too, if you don't mind me saying! That woman is a fine piece of-"

"You idiot, that's not the reason! She's the perpetrator behind our defeat and I want my revenge!"

"Hey, hey, we ain't judging, doc! You do what you gotta do!" Rocksteady winked lewdly as he made a click noise combined with double finger guns at Baxter. "We'll get that reporter, no worries!"

Baxter gave up with an audible sigh of frustration. He swore his new barrage of gray hair came just from talking to these two.

"Good. Well, gentlemen, it's been a pleasure. Good luck!"

"WHOOHOO! We're going home, dude!" Rocksteady and Bebop howled as they were led away.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

The cargo plane was ready, and it's main passengers settled. Ninjara had largely ignored the warthog and rhino mutant, choosing to look over the reports that Karai had given her about their mission. She studied them, eyes lingering on the reports of her future opponents.

She had heard, vaguely, of the turtle mutants that now twice had thwarted the Foot, defeating the Shredder and the Krang, which was absolutely incredible in of itself, as they had done so on their own terms.

The most intriguing thing about them was the fact that they were mere teenagers! Ninjara squinted at that, her expression unreadable as she put her fist to her chin in complacent thought.

"Fascinating… these were the first successful test subjects for the mutagen. They appear to be quite formidable!" Leatherhead rumbled. He was also looking at the reports… his copy was laminated, as he had accidentally shredded the first copy he had been given. Ninjara looked his way, giving him a nod, "Indeed. I must say I am surprised that our Master, The shredder, was defeated by them, especially given their age!"

"Oh my! I had not noticed!" The scientist in Leatherhead had completely ignored the pleasantries of the report, focusing instead on their biology.

"Naw, they ain't nuthin' special! Me and Rocksteady totally put the smack down on those kung-fu frogs more then once! We totally got this, and with you guys, we can totally go toe-to-toe with those freaks! One-on-one!" Bebop chuckled, overhearing the conversation.

"Be that as it may, we'd best not underestimate them. It seems that this has always bee the fatal flaw in dealing with these… "freaks"." Ninjara responded, her mouth quirking at the term, as it could easily be applied to themselves.

She closed her eyes in mediation, allowing all noise to wash over and away from her.

"Don't make us regret giving you a second chance, Ninjara. Your life belongs to the foot, and you would do well to remember this."

Karai's voice echoed through her head and she ground her teeth. She would not fail this time. No matter what, she was going to succeed and win back her honor.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Casey eyeballed the files he had gathered. Jackson had precious little paperwork online, to Casey's surprise, so, he had been forced to go the "basement", where all the paper trails began. There had been quite a bit more there, and as Casey leafed through them, one particular casework file caught his eye.

"Huh… So you "rescued" Irma, huh, creep?" Casey muttered, reading the file rapidly, his mouth working in a grimace. That would explain why Irma was defensive of her abuser. If she felt that she owed him, then of course it wasn't likely that she would turn against him.

According to the file, Irma had briefly been involved with a Purple Dragon crime, but only with the intention of snitching on them. Her betrayal had been found out and if not for the convenient intervention of Jackson Reid, she would have been killed.

As it was, she had been beaten within an inch of her life. Pictures had been taken of her, and Casey winced in sympathy as he read the list of injuries she had been given.

Broken ribs, fractured bones in her arms, fractured jaw and worst of all, her sight had been permanently damaged. Her recovery had been slow and painful. And according to the report, Jackson had been with her every step of the way.

The man responsible for her hospitalization was in the city prison, serving ten years.

"Hmm… Looks like I'll have to pay you a visit, Harry Johnson. I bet you know the whole story," Casey closed the file, his mind working.

His computer beeped and he looked up in time to see the face of the man who had been stalking April. His face split into a grin, and he smirked, "Ah, hello beautiful. Looks like we gotta have a chat, Ed Hayes."

He jumped up from his desk, grabbing his coat and dialing April as he prepared to bring in the small time crook.

He trusted the guys to watch over April. It was time to visit the inner city prison.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Donatello was reviewing the camera footage they had obtained when Michelangelo plopped next to him. The younger turtle had just woken up from sleeping after his long vigil and Donatello braced himself for the inane chatter that was surely to follow… but to his surprise, his usually cheerful brother was silent.

"Uh, you alright there, champ?" Donatello asked, giving his brother a sideways glance.

"Yeah, m'ok dude." Mikey replied, still sounding strangely down.

"Is this about your cell phone? I'm really sorry, Mike. That was on me, I should have waited until you'd gotten back-" Donatello began, feeling extremely guilty about his carelessness when Mikey cut him off, "Nah, bro, it's just… I wanna help Angel! And Irma! They're both in so much trouble, and it's like we're sitting here doing nothing! And… I actually had a chance to help Angel… and I blew it!" He added, hanging his head. "She's got the dragon tattoo… and it's all my fault, dude."

Donatello smiled wryly as he replied, "Mikey, there wasn't much you could do. You were instructed to watch her, and it sounds like her life wasn't threatened directly up until they forced her to get the tattoo. You couldn't communicate with us, and you had to make a call. You did the best you could, which is far more then anyone else did at that moment. As to the rest… I know what you mean. I feel the same way, actually. But there's only so much we can do right now."

"Yeah."

Mikey was looking at the video footage now, his brow wrinkling as he looked at the footage of the hallway outside of April's apartment. Chloe was stepping out, looking like she was gonna go running, when Irma's door opened and Jackson stepped out. There was a confrontation between the two, with Chloe looking angry and defensive, a strange fire in her expression that was anything but self-conscious, as she had seemed before.

"Dude, she looks like she knows about Irma." Mikey pointed out, chuckling, "Also, I told you guys she'd be cute!"

Donatello frowned as he turned to the monitor with Chloe.

"I wonder what happened. That's not the first time they had a confrontation. I think he's hitting on her."

"But, isn't he with Irma?"

"Well, yeah, but if he's only with her to control her, then it wouldn't make sense for him to remain celibate."

"Oh… Hey, Donnie?"

"Yeah Mikey?"

"What's celibate?"

Donatello choked slightly, sputtering before settling with a dry, "It's what we are."

"Uh… Oh." Mikey frowned as he tried to figure that one out. "Wait what?"

All at once, shouts came from the direction of the dojo.

"Hey, Mikey, what's the timer say?" Donatello asked without skipping a beat.

"It is…" Mikey checked the timer on his phone, "5 minutes and 36 seconds."

"You owe me five bucks." Donatello chuckled as Raphael stormed out of the dojo, Leonardo hot on his heels.

"Raphael, you know we can't just expose ourselves without a plan!"

"That's not what I'm suggesting as you damn well know, Leo!" Raphael snarled, "We gotta act soon, before more people get hurt! What about April!? The Dragons are already tailing her! And who knows what they'll do to her once they figure out that she's doing a story on them! So far Donnie and Mikey are the ONLY ONES who have actually taken action and done what they felt was right! Meanwhile you just sit here like a damn coward, waiting for those punks to hurt more people! What's it gonna take, huh? How far are you gonna let them go before you do something about it? When they start lining people up in the subway as hostages, like the Foot did?!"

Leonardo opened his mouth to retort, as anger and humiliation stabbed him but then paused, trying to get his emotions under control. Raph wasn't totally wrong, but neither were his hurtful words justified. Leonardo took a deep breath, choosing to ignore the personal jabs Raphael had thrown and focusing instead on the intentions of his hotheaded sibling.

"Look, Raph, I know what you're saying. I just don't want us, ANY of us to do something we'll regret."

"Well NOT doing anything is still doing something, however you look at it." Raphael snarled.

"Alright, wise guy, then what would YOU have us does?" Leonardo frowned as he crossed his arms, trying to not sound snide. He was genuinely curious though, if Raph had any ideas.

Raphael almost started to speak when he stopped short, looking Leo in the eye he asked in surprise, "Are you asking me seriously?"

"Yes, Raphael. What's your plan?"

Raph snorted ungracefully, he hadn't expected to get this far with his equally stubborn brother.

"Look, if it makes you feel better, when we patrol tonight, we can swing by April's, in case that creep is still hanging around. Maybe we could even follow Chloe on her run, see if she gets tailed again. Would that make you feel better?"

"Not really, but it's better then nothing." Raphael grunted.

"Hey Leo, I just heard from April." Donatello called from where he and Mikey sat.

"What's she say?"

"She got our message about the stalker and has taken precautions. Casey found out the guy's name, a Mr. Ed Hayes, petty crook, wanted for multiple thefts and vandalism."

"Alright, so let's go get him!" Raphael smacked his fist into his open palm.

"Sounds like Casey's already on it." Donatello interjected, almost apologetically.

Raphael stood, his fist still in his palm, his scowl growing darker by the second.

Mikey bounced to his feet as he asked, "Hey, has Casey talked to Angel yet?"

Raphael shook his head, momentarily distracted as he replied, "Naw dude. By the way, whose turn is it to look after Angel tonight?"

"Mine." Donatello replied, looking over at Mikey, he asked, "Do you want to come with?"

"Yeah dude!" Mikey perked up, looking a lot happier.

"That aright, Leo?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea."

Leo blew out his breath. To be honest, he was mostly irritable because he hadn't been sleeping well. He'd been assaulted by dreams, nightmares really, of the Shredder's return. The inability to protect his family haunted his aura and he felt more restless then he ever had before.

It didn't help that Splinter had been unable to provide them with any information on the Japanese branch of the Foot. Their master had been extremely troubled by the thought, retreating to his room in order to meditate.

Raphael's phone rang and he gave it a glance before flicking it open.

"Whatcha got, Friday?

"Very Funny, Dome-head. I just learned that Jackson has been involved with Irma a lot longer than we initially thought. I'm on my way to question a potential witness. In the meantime, do me a favor and keep an eye on April. I know she said she didn't want you guys involved, but there's only so much I can do on my own here. If we're gonna get Angel out of the trouble she's in, Jackson's got to be taken out of the picture. Who knows, maybe he can give us more info on what the Purple Dragons are up to."

"Alright, Bonehead, I'll tell the others."

"Catch ya on the flipside, Dweeb."

Raph snorted as Casey hung, turning to the others, he cracked his knuckles.

"We got a job to do, guys."

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

April was terse as she hung up her phone. Casey had just called her, giving her all the information he had found on Jackson's past with Irma and the identity of her stalker.

Presently, there wasn't anything she could really do, not without sounding paranoid and crazy. Strangely enough, even Chloe seemed on edge, but April chalked that up to the new environment as she asked, "Hey, you ok, kiddo?"

"Yeah, I'm ok. Sorry." Chloe apologized with a lopsided grin.

"No need to apologize, I know this can be overwhelming, especially if you're new to it all. That's kinda how I was when I started."

This wasn't entirely true. April had known she wanted to be a reporter for as long as she could remember and her father's death had ingrained the desire within her like a fiery brand. Of course she had moments in her adolescence where she had been unsure of herself, but never had she felt unsure of her desire to discover the truth.

"That makes me feel better," Chloe laughed slightly, but her eyes darted to the side, as though looking for something as she asked, "Er, who was that on the phone with you?"

"Oh, it was just Casey. He had some information for me."

"I see." Chloe nodded.

"Anyways, it's time for us to head back to the station. I've one more thing to report for the 5 o'clock new and then it'll be time for us to wrap it up."

"Alright, cool!" Chloe grinned, although a fresh set of anxieties beset her. When she got home, she planned to meet Irma on the roof to start her self-defense training, something she had never done for anyone before.

I hope I can help her. All I ever do is screw things up.

Chloe winced as she realized that once again, her insecurities were putting words in her proverbial mouth.

No, that's not true. I know I can do this. I have to.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

The inner city prison was cold. That was something Casey had known already, after serving as a prison guard for a time. As he waited for them to bring out Harry Johnson, he kept his eye on the door. He hated this place. God, did he hate it.

"Detective Jones."

Casey stood as the guard brought the shackled prisoner. Harry Johnson was a small, wiry man with lines in his face, graying red hair and bags under his eyes. He looked every bit as sleazy as a small time crook would look.

"Ah, Mr. Johnson. Have a seat."

"Can we cut to the chase, Detective, I've got a pottery class to get to." Harry snapped, flinching as the guard behind him gave him a dirty look.

"I'd be happy to. According to your file, you were convicted on many charges, but the most serious one was assault and battery on a woman, Irma Rocksteed."

Harry swallowed visibly, his eyes darting away from Casey's face as he shrugged, "Oh, you know, she was a snitch. Had to be shut up."

"You didn't work for the Purple Dragons up until the moment when she was involved. Why?"

"I decided that I needed to expand my enterprises, you know? Small gigs just weren't cutting it and I figured-"

"Harry."

The crook paused. He had been talking directly to the tabletop, and now, he slowly raised his head to look into the fiery gaze of Casey Jones.

"You're not being truthful. Now listen, I don't' give a damn about you. But someone I care about is in danger, and unfortunately, you're the key I need to save her. So you better start talking, or I'll make sure you-"

"You'll what? My life is already hell here!" Harry suddenly snapped, eyes blazing, he spouted, " I've hit rock-bottom! My life ain't gonna go anywhere from here, and if I talk, I'm as good as dead!"

He was about to say more when Casey's face split into a wide, wide smile.

"Oh? Talk about what? What do you know that's so dangerous to your health, Harry-boy?"

"I- I didn't mean-"

"You listen here, and you listen good. That guard there? He's a good friend of mine. If I asked him to make you life miserable, you can bet your ass he'd do it. Let me make something very, very clear right now; your life means absolutely nothing to me personally. I've got people that are depending on me, people that I would die for. So you're damned if you do, and damned if you don't. What's it gonna be?"

Harry quivered under the hateful stares of Casey and the guard. Finally, he muttered, "If this gets out, I'm not the only one in trouble, understand? I've got loved ones too."

Casey looked at him in some mild surprise.

"If you're serious about that, I'll make it my personal priority to make sure that nothing happens to them."

"… The dragons blackmailed me. If I didn't do what they said… they were gonna go after my son." Harry admitted, looking into Casey eyes, he continued, "Nano's a good kid, which is why I've tried to stay out of his life. He doesn't need me to drag him down. On top of that, I owed a bunch of money to some loan sharks, who, as my rotten luck would have it, were owned by the Purple Dragons. They agreed to cancel out my debt and leave my family out of my business so long as I… So long as I made sure this Irma chick would keep her mouth shut about something. She was weak and kind of irritating, I figured that it wouldn't be hard to just intimidate her. But… when the time came… "

Here, Harry paused and he shuddered. He had looked away a moment, as if in pain, but he turned back, with conviction, he snarled," Someone else had gotten to her. I found her beaten, within an inch of her life. I couldn't believe it. They had said to intimidate her; no one had said anything about actually touching her, much less kill her! I… I was trying to see if she was dead, you know, shaking her, calling her name, when that goddamn pig came out of nowhere and arrested me for assault. There was no evidence in my favor, none whatsoever. And you know the law… when you're someone like me, no one will listen to your side of the story. Besides that, it was my word against the cop's, so I was as good as convicted. And you know, I eventually realized that this was the Dragons' plan all along. They wanted someone to frame, and they picked me. I don't know why they didn't just kill her… well, I mean, I didn't know then. I know now."

"Because of her brother, Rocksteady?" Casey asked confidently.

Harry looked at him like he was stupid and laughed.

"Oh boy. You really don't know. But I can't tell you. If I do, my boy will definitely die and there ain't a damn thing you'll be able to do."

Casey frowned.

"Look, I'll see to it that your family stays safe, Harry. You sure that's all?"

"The rest should be easy for you to figure out, Detective." Harry responded simply as he was lead away.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Irma was waiting on the rooftop, nervous, dressed in a baggy t-shirt and sweatpants when Chloe came to the rooftop, dressed similarly.

Giving a grin, Chloe waved at Irma.

"Hello. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Irma replied, adjusting her glasses on her face.

Chloe couldn't help but think back to when she had first started learning self-defense, and how scared she had been.

Her sister's first words of caution and advice swirled through her mind and she found herself repeating them.

"Self-defense isn't about the fight itself. It's not like TV, or the movies, or even like professional sports, where there's a referee and a cameraman and a cheering audience. It's about getting home alive. When you use self-defense, it's about your own survival and well-being. So, keep that in mind. When someone approaches you, with the intent to cause bodily harm to you, your goal shouldn't be to try to show off your moves, or prolong the encounter in any way. It's to get home, alive, no matter what."

Irma took in these words with a growing sense of nausea at the seriousness in Chloe's tone, and nodded, "Ok."

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Across the street, Leonardo and Raphael had just arrived, after doing a quick patrol over the city. Raphael scanned the streets for the lurker, but the guy was nowhere in sight.

"Hey, it looks like Irma's trying to learn self-defense." Leo observed.

Raph looked up to see Chloe and Irma on the roof across the street. Chloe was speaking with a serious expression on her homespun face. Irma seemed nervous as she listened.

"Wait… is there someone else there?" Leo squinted.

Raphael looked in the direction of Leo's gaze and his blood boiled.

"It's that creep, Jackson. He's watching them. Fuckin' perv."

Sure enough, Leo realized Raph was right. Jackson Reid was on the roof, standing behind the roof-access. He was perfectly still, watching Irma and Chloe with an expression that was growing darkewr by the minute.

"He's not up to any good." Leo murmured.

"No duh, Leo! Let's grab him!" Raphael grinned toothily, pounding his fist into his open palm.

Leo considered. They could do that… but what if Chloe and Irma saw them?

Jackson was only watching… but who knows whether or not he would make a move on them. Chloe seemed to have a good grasp of self-defense, but Jackson outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds. Not to mention there was Irma, defenseless and tiny. It would be so easy for Jackson to gang up on the two.

"Look, we don't make a move unless he threatens them directly. But let's get in a position to intervene if he does." Leo decided.

Raphael chuckled, "Good enough for me!" He was itching to get his hands on the abusive prick.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

The next hour was an awkward, sweaty one. Chloe did her best, but being an awkward person herself, her teaching was rusty. However, what she lacked in finesse, she made up for with enthusiasm and encouragement, refusing to hear Irma's apologies and patiently making sure that her own form was flawless as she showed Irma basic techniques, starting with methods of escape. They could move on to more complex, aggressive methods later. By the end of the hour, Irma was bent over, her hands on her knees as she breathed hard. She had never been athletic at all, and her heart was hammering in her chest like a washing machine thrown off balance.

"I guess that will do for tonight. Sorry, I'm really bad at teaching. But you did really good!" Chloe laughed nervously.

"No, no, it's ok! It's actually pretty fun." Irma admitted with a tired, hoarse laugh. "Sort of satisfying, you know what I mean?"

Chloe smiled back at her, "yeah, I do. Punching the air is great for blowing off stream. So, that's all I got for you tonight. We'll start working on strength training and conditioning in a couple of days, so you can deliver more power in your techniques. Sound good?"

"Yes." Irma nodded, smiling genuinely.

They both sat on the rooftop, quiet for a while, as they looked up at the sky. There weren't many stars out, because of the city smog, but it was still a lovely evening, with a gentle breeze.

"Say, Chloe? How long have you been doing this… fighting stuff?" Irma queried after a long silence.

"Hmm." Chloe thought back to when she first started, " About 5 years I guess. I actually started before I met my Ex-boyfriend, David. But, I guess you could say I took my training more seriously after him." Chloe looked up at the sky, clenching her fists as memories swept through her brain. She steered away from thoughts of her ex and instead, focused on the memory of her sister.

"Desiree was such a badass. And… she was the only family I had that cared about me after our parents died. Don't get me wrong, her kids, my nephews, loved me too, but they're all really young. My sister's husband never liked me. And… he didn't want me around after she died, because he…blamed me for her death. That's part of the reason why I'm here."

Irma frowned as Chloe stumbled over her words, "That's messed up."

"Well, it's pretty complicated. I mean, he never liked me anyways. I was just another mouth to feed to him."

Irma sat in silence, as Chloe looked up at the sky, recalling, "Desiree was a victim of abuse too. That is why she became a fighter. Helping others to learn to defend themselves was important to her, especially women. We're so often viewed as damsels in distress that need saving, when, sometimes, we just lack the tools and the knowledge to save ourselves. And when we are helpless, society is cold and heartless to our words and our voices, even when we do seek help and speak up. I'm not saying it doesn't happen to men, as well. All people should be given the tools to protect their lives and defend the ones they love. At least… that was how my sister felt. And as long as I live, I'm going to carry out her ideals."

Irma smiled sadly, the words scratching at her heart as her sins crawled over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry for your loss. Your sister sounds like she was a really great person."

Tears watered in Chloe's eyes before she wiped them away with determination.

"I don't want to forget her. And in a way, teaching you what she taught me… it's like she's here with me. It feels right. So thank you, Irma, for letting me share her memory with you."

Irma set her jaw, clenching her fists. She recalled the weird incident from the other day, when that strange guy in the trench coat practically begged her to end her relationship with Jackson… for her sake and for Angel's sake, of all things. Irma hadn't had a chance to ask Angel anything regarding that incident, but the fact that Jackson had straight up lied to Irma about Angel's visit the other night nagged at her spirit. Even though she was terrified at the thought of leaving Jackson, the thought of staying with him, staying under his thumb was even more terrifying. She was shaken from her thoughts when Chloe continued to speak.

"You know, I thought I was going to be miserable here. I know it's only been a few days, but I already feel hopeful about my future. Work today was good, and... I don't know. I just have a good feeling." Chloe murmured, almost to herself, as she clasped her hands together, absently scratching under her gloves.

Irma stood to her feet, as she noticed the time.

"I better get back to the apartment."

"Alright, Irma. See you tomorrow. Don't forget what I said about the purpose of self-defense."

Irma's footsteps faded out, blending briefly with the rhythm of the city, ending with the closing of the door.

Chloe leaned back against an ac unit, her eyes absentmindedly looking into the sky as she contemplated, finally alone.

"I miss you, Desiree. I hope I'm doing this right." She murmured. Sitting in silence, she closed her eyes and allowed the noises of the city to lull her. Her palms itched briefly, but she ignored it. Ever since she had arrived, her palms seemed to itch more and more and she wasn't sure why that was. However, the chaotic peace didn't last.

A noise on the rooftop clattered out of sync with the rest of the city din, and Chloe's heart jumped into her mouth as she scrambled to her feet, crouched low, she peered over the top of the ac unit, her ears burning, a prickling feeling running over her shoulders.

To her surprise, there wasn't anyone there. She was alone. Or, so it seemed. A chill breeze swept over her, sending goose bumps down her legs and arms. Warning bells were going off in her head.

Frowning, Chloe stood to her feet cautiously; looking around nervously as she grabbed her gear and practically flew into the apartment, not even looking back. Her heart was pounding in her ears as she raced down the hall and shakily let herself into the apartment.

April had gone out to meet with friends, she had said, and she wasn't back yet. As Chloe took in deep breaths, she relaxed slightly, and tried hard not to consider the fact that she was positive that she had heard someone on the rooftop.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Irma quietly made dinner and set the table, her eyes downcast and full of thought. Jackson still wasn't home and Irma was beginning to wonder if he was working late tonight.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Back on the roof, from behind the roof access, Jackson Reid stood silently, struggling with his cold, burning fury that was building like a nuclear meltdown in his chest.

His eyes burned in the darkness, as he contemplated what he had witnessed. Irma hadn't been home when he arrived, and knowing her tendency for smoking, he crept to the roof, hoping to sneak up on her and catch her in the act, since he had expressly forbidden her smoking. It was a filthy habit and a waste of money.

However, what he found instead was enough to make his blood boil. That hussy from next door, the fat minx who had twice spurned his advances, was teaching Irma what seemed to be self-defense.

Instead of confronting them, he quietly slipped into the shadows, watching and waiting with all the patience of a seasoned predator. Eventually, they called it quits and sat together, talking with one another, like girls do.

Jackson ground his teeth as he tried to get his emotions under control. Not only was Irma defying him by not going straight home after work, as he had implicitly commanded her to, multiple occasions, but she was learning self-defense. He wasn't thick; he knew where this was going. This was her first night, and she was still physically weak. Hell, he could easily, easily overpower, if she tried to defend herself from his authority tonight.

That wasn't the problem.

It was the principle of the matter. She was very clearly disobeying him, defying his regime in her life.

Jackson's job had been very simple when he had first seduced this bitch; he was to keep an eye on Irma Rocksteed, gain her trust and keep her under surveillance.

So far, influencing her and keeping her under his thumb had been extremely easy; almost like child's play… so why now? Why was she suddenly bucking his authority?

He chuckled quietly as he finally stepped into the moonlight, standing in the spot where she and Chloe had been training. Their sweat was still pooled on the ground in quiet, damp spots, unassuming evidence of their fervor and efforts.

Taking care of this should be easy. Chloe was a nobody, after all. Sure, she was living with that nosy, meddling reporter, but he doubted anyone really important would care if Chloe disappeared. Flicking open his burner phone, he called one of his Purple Dragon contacts, making a full report on the situation.

Five minutes later, he was back in the apartment, giving Irma a gentle hug and a tender kiss.

"D-did you have a good day today, Jack?" Irma asked in that quiet, mousy tone she had that was almost endearing, but mostly annoying.

"Oh baby, did I ever!" Jackson grinned wolfishly down at her, ruffling her hair with deliberate affection.

"Th-that's good!" Irma laughed nervously. She was confused, Jackson hadn't treated her this gently in a very long time…. Things must have been really good at work.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Leo and Raph came out of the shadows once Jackson had gone back into the apartment. Raphael was livid, snarling, "Why wouldn't you let me kick his ass Leo?! He clearly deserves it!"

"I don't think he's going to do anything to Irma tonight. Did you hear his conversation on the phone? He wants to get rid of Chloe." Leo responded, "Our best bet is to let Casey handle Jackson. It sounded like he was on the verge of finding evidence to lock " He paused, as Raphael huffed in anger, putting a hand on the restless warrior's shoulder, he continued, "You and I are going to trail Chloe tomorrow. She's in danger now."

"Everyone's in danger. And it looks to me that you don't want to do anything about it." Raphael snarled, shrugging Leo's grasp off.

"That's not true!" Leo snarled back, "Damn it, Raph, I can't let you guys down again!"

Raphael looked at Leo in surprise as Leo continued angrily, "It was because of me that Master Splinter was almost killed! If we make one mistake-" He paused, struggling to find the words.

Raphael growled, "Leo, you can't blame yourself for what happened. That's in the past, and you know Splinter didn't blame you. None of us did. In fact… If anyone was to blame, it was me. I was the one that kept pushing for us to go further then was safe. You just wanted to help that girl. If I'd been thinking about you guys, I wouldn't have put us in danger."

Leo shook his head, for the first time realizing that Raphael's need for action wasn't an impulsive drive for violence. It was a guilt-driven motive, just as his desire to keep them safe was rooted in guilt.

"Raph, look, I'm sorry I've pushed you around and ignored your concerns."

"Don't apologize to me, Leo. You know I've got a thick skin. Let's just focus on busting up these crooks. After all, this is our city." Raph grinned slightly.

Leo grinned back, feeling a sense of relief. Normally, he and Rap didn't open to each other about their feelings. But he was glad that tonight had been an exception.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Angel had been busy all day trying to retrace her steps. She even went back to the docks, looking at her surroundings. To be honest, she was curious herself about who had rescued her and why they had done so. As far back as she could remember, no one had ever given a damn about her with the exception of Casey Jones and her grandmother. She had tried calling Jones, but he hadn't picked up.

The bastard.

Worn out and empty-handed, she turned to walk back to her old job with disgust. How could a guy that powerful move without leaving a trace?

As Angel picked her way down the street, she almost paused in her movement. She was being followed. And to her knowledge, it couldn't be the Purple Dragons this time.

She turned down an alley and grabbed her pocketknife, gritting her teeth, she snarled, "Alright, punk, come out and show your face. I'm sick and tired of your bullshit!"

There was no answer, and Angel waited tensely, her gut churning. She sighed, "God, I must be going insane." Kicking a can, she snarled to herself as she continued on her way.

Following above her on the rooftops, Mikey marveled, "Dude, how does she do that?"

Donatello had no answer. Angel paused, her face wrenching with uncertainty. She was certain she had heard voices on the wind. Either she was going crazy, or there really was someone there, watching her. The question was why? Was this the person who had interfered last night?

If that was the case, then they probably didn't have malicious intentions towards her, right? She turned towards the roof, staring into the darkness. Frustrated beyond words, she huffed and continued on her way to work. Thankfully, she hadn't heard from the Dragons about a job tonight.

Donnie and Mikey kept out of sight, Donatello periodically checking the perimeter with his gear as they crossed each block.

Angel entered the bar she worked at, calling out, "Charlie? You there?"

The Bartender looked up and waved her over.

"How you doing, kid?" he asked quietly, lowering his tone, he asked, "Are they treating you right?"

"You know they're not, Charlie… but there's nothing I can do about that." Angel frowned, as she took the offered cup of water and lemon he offered her.

"They came in here yesterday, to let me know that you'd be busy."

"Is that all they came for?" Angel raised a brow and Charlie shook his head tiredly.

"I'm supposed to give them a 30% share of my sales, and serve their members for a… discounted price."

Angel growled, "Those bastards are expanding their territory. If someone doesn't step in soon, they'll be back in power before you can say 'Big Apple'."

Charlie just sighed. He was getting old, and these recent events were weighing on him heavily.

"Just like the old days."

Angel's fists squeezed into hard knots of fury. Irma, Charlie, her big, dumb brother… Everything was being taken from her. And it was THEIR fault. That goddamn cult of a gang was like a disease.

Resolve started building in Angel's chest. If something didn't change… someone didn't do something….

But what could she do?

The doorbell rang and Angel turned to see Casey Jones.

"Angel." Casey nodded brusquely.

"Jones. Why don't you answer your fucking phone?" Angel hissed.

Casey winced.

"I'm sorry. Kiddo. I'm here now. I got a lot to tell you."

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

April dragged her feet wearily back to the apartment. Her mind was spinning with the information Casey had shared.

If everything that the inmate had shared was true, then they were all truly in danger.

She honestly wasn't sure whether or not she should keep Chloe with her. It sounded like things were really going to get messy.

"Hey, Chloe-" April stopped short as she entered the apartment. Chloe was passed out on the couch, a textbook draped across her face. April smiled softly. Her old roommate, Taylor would never have done such a thing, for the simple fact that Taylor had never really been comfortable around April. Chloe was so different from Taylor, despite her obvious social anxiety, she was hardworking and sincere in her kindness.

April grabbed Chloe's coffee mug, which was empty, and took it to the kitchen, choosing to let the worn out girl sleep. She'd talk to her tomorrow.

Her phone rang and April quickly answered it. She looked over her shoulder, to see if Chloe was disturbed. The Textbook remained in place and Chloe's breath was regular.

April turned back to her phone, murmuring quietly, "Hello?"

"Hey April."

"Leo? What's going on?"

"Raph and I are outside your apartment. Jackson just blew some sort of whistle on Chloe. We're going to stick around and keep an eye on her when she goes running in the morning."

"Wait, what? Why Chloe?"

"Well, I think it has to do with the fact that she's befriended Irma. She's teaching Irma self-defense and… Jackson caught them. They don't know that he knows though. Raph and I were across the street and we saw him spying on them."

"Oh my god." April pinched the bridge of her nose, "I told her to stay away from Irma!"

"Don't worry, April, we'll keep an eye on her." Leo replied confidently.

"Alright. Thanks guys. Have you heard from Casey?"

"Yeah. That's part of the reason why we didn't do anything to Jackson tonight. It'd be best if he was taken into police custody."

April nodded.

"Thanks guys. I appreciate it. Stay in touch, ok?"

"Will do."

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Darkness.

It surrounded her on all sides. A chilled feeling crept down her spine, chilling her to the bones. Opening her eyes, she perceived that she was not alone in this darkness and her heart seemed to stutter in her chest. Of course, it wasn't so much that she could see she wasn't alone. It was a gut-wrenching feeling in the pit of her stomach, in the way her skin crawled under someone else's eyes.

"Who-Who's there?" She whispered, her palms itching.

Silence swallowed her whisper, and the presence grew, Chloe frantically turned this way and that, the feeling of something growing stronger and stronger.

She couldn't see anything however and slowly, relaxed. Suddenly, she jolted as she felt a warm breath on her neck and a distorted voice whispered into her ear, "Murderer."

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Chloe screeched as she awoke, her body drenched in sweat, her palms itching like crazy. She blinked back tears, biting her lip as she gazed at her hands, still covered by her gloves. Scratching at them, she murmured, "It's not real. It's not real."

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Back at the lair, Splinter sat in the dojo, troubled by his meditations. Strange visions had assailed him.

The most troubling of these visions came in the form of a young man, oriental in appearance, bowed at the knee and a blade at his throat. Oroku Saki held the blade, and sneered, "Now you die."

"He who lives without honor will die without honor." The young man spoke, in a voice that was calm and at peace.

Splinter awoke from these visions with a feeling of foreboding. He stood to his feet, suddenly aware of a presence in his home. With a growl, he gripped his staff, and disappeared from sight.

Listening intently and scenting the air, he realized that whoever had invaded their home was not human.

"I know you are here, Rat." An elegant voice spoke out confidently, "Show yourself. We have some business to discuss."

This was the only presence Splinter sensed, so, without further hesitation, he dropped into view. The presence was a fox-like woman, garbed in the tech and gear of the Foot Clan.

"Master Splinter, is it? What an honor." She smirked, her golden eyes unfriendly and wary.

"And you are?" Splinter, questioned, still on guard.

"My name is Ninjara. I am here to negotiate with you on behalf of the Foot." She replied, though her voice was tinged with disgust.

"And why should I believe a word that you say? You dared to show your presence in my home."

Ninjara took the weapon off her back and gently laid it on the floor, showing her hands clearly, she gazed at him openly, though the pride never left her eyes.

"I come in peace, Splinter."

Splinter's tail twitched. "I will hear what you have to say."

"How kind." She sneered, crossing her arms, she spoke, "As you may already know, the Purple Dragons are retaking the territory left behind by the Foot. If they succeed in taking over the city, many innocent people will suffer. Mistress Karai wishes to retake the New York territory and leave it in the care of her daughter, Niko. Niko is a peaceful young woman, and wishes to remodel the Foot Clan to be honorable and morally uncorrupt. She wishes to fund the researching of technology for the advancement of mankind."

"How noble," Splinter stroked his beard, still on guard as he asked, "And what does any of this have to do with me and my sons?"

"We wish to make an alliance. Your small family is extremely formidable and we have confidence that an alliance would be the best course of action to take down the threat of the Purple Dragons without serious repercussions on the city and it's inhabitants."

Splinter laughed softly.

"Everything you say sounds good and well. But there's only one problem."

"And what is that?" Ninjara asked in impatience.

"A tiger is incapable of changing its stripes, and a scorpion will always sting the hand that extends in kindness. In the same way, I do not believe the Foot clan has the ability to become anything other then what it is; a heartless organization that steps on the lives of good people for it's own benefit."

Ninjara actually laughed back, as she looked Splinter in the eye, rebuking, "How very narrow-minded. In case you hadn't noticed, our old leader is dead and gone. Niko is his heir, and her methods and mannerisms are as different from her father as day from night. Our offer will stand. If you change your mind, please, accept this card and contact us at your leisure. We'll be in town, until the Purple Dragon threat is eliminated."

Splinter watched her place the card on the floor, pick up her katana and sheath it. He was impressed by how easily she disappeared from view, a true Ninja warrior.

Splinter let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. This was an unexpected development. It wasn't surprising that she had found their home. After all, they had stayed in the same place. The foot knew where they lived.

Splinter shook his head, reminding himself to speak to Donatello about the security measures.

In fact… moving to a new home, while problematic, would most likely be the best idea.

Splinter looked at his home, relishing the memories painted in the rooms and on the walls. The first words and steps his sons took, the many times he had caught them sneaking out, all the lessons learned and the laughter shared.

He nodded to himself.

Yes, it was time to move again. After all… if the Foot wanted to, they could share the location of the lair with anybody. It was a strategic failure on his part, but one that he was determined to correct. Once his sons returned, he would speak with them about finding a new home.

With this in mind, he took up his walking staff and took a running start. He would scout out the outer territory of they were familiar with, to see if he could find a new place for them. If he did not, then, he would recruit help tomorrow. But for now, it was time for him take action.

Besides, he already had an idea of where to go.

* * *

AN2: If anyone has any constructive criticism for me, I'm happy to hear it, I'm always looking to improve my writing.

Happy early Valentine's Day


	8. The Ghost of the Past

AN: Thanks for the follows and fav's!

I got a little stuck, but I think I'm back in the swing of things now! Happy reading!

* * *

Chapter 7

Bull in a China Shop part 2: The Ghost of the Past

* * *

"I know you're working for the Purple Dragons. I also know that you're being coerced into it." Casey cut straight to the point.

Angel's face was stoic as she crossed her arms.

"Is that all?"

"No. It's not." Casey looked back at Angel unflinchingly as he added; "I also know who saved you, that night that they put their mark on you."

This garnered a response from Angel and she sat up, her eyes widening as she unconsciously covered her marked arm with her opposite hand, despite the fact that the mark was already covered by long sleeves and snarled, "Then you need to tell them to back the fuck off. I got in trouble for what they did to that goddamn tattoo parlor."

"Uh, I can't tell them-"

"THEM? There's more then one?! Who the hell are they? Are they the ones following me around? I don't need some fucking assholes creeping on me and trying to play hero. I've got more then enough to deal with as it is without some goddamn stalkers!"

"Look, it's not like that, Angel. Do you remember how there were vigilantes fighting against the Foot?"

"Yeah… are you saying these are the same guys that fought the Foot Clan?" Angel frowned, crossing her arms.

"Yeah. I got mixed in with them last year, when Shredder escaped police custody. I asked them to keep an eye on you. So, if you wanna get mad at anyone, it's my fault."

Angel put her head in her hands, taking a deep breath as she tried to process everything that was happening.

Casey added quietly, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, Angel. It's my fau-"

"Shut the fuck up, Jones. Don't you go making this about you, alright? Look, I called you, partly to see if you could help me track down my fucking stalkers, but also… because I need your help. Things are more serious then what you think. HE is back. And he's in power."

Casey's blood ran cold.

"You mean… you mean-"

"Yes. He called me personally, and told me to find out who did the damage to the tattoo parlor. And more then that… if you know I'm being coerced, then you know about Irma and the cocksucker she's living with, Jackson, am I right?"

"Yeah."

"My hands are tied, at least until Irma is safe. If I don't do what they say, Irma's gonna get hurt."

Casey frowned, "Look, it's not just about you, Angel. Your friend Irma is-"

But Casey was interrupted when the doorbell rang and five large, burly men came swaggering in.

Angel stiffened. They were all wearing the Purple Dragon mark. And they were making a beeline for Casey Jones.

"Casey, you need to go." She tried hissing, but it was too late.

"Oy, pig! You came to the wrong bar." The largest of the gang members snickered as they surrounded the table, ignoring Angel.

Casey's eye twitched. He hated that term.

"No, no, I think I came to the right bar." He stood up, smiling broadly. Oh boy, look, some steam to blow off!

This was going to be _fun._

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Donatello hissed in alarm as a bunch of Purple Dragons went into the bar that Casey had gone into.

"Buckle up, Mikey, I think things are about to get ugly!"

"Are we gonna fight?"

"Only if Casey can't handle those thugs."

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Charlie saw the situation that was arising and meekly spoke up, "C'mon, fellas, let's take this outside, huh-"

"Hey, shut the fuck up, old man!" One of the thugs snarled, turning to the Barkeeper, he sneered, "As far as I'm concerned, this is Purple Dragon property, and we can do whatever the FUCK we want here!"

"See, that's where you're wrong."

Angel spoke up, standing to her feet with Casey, she snarled, "I'm a Purple Dragon too, "She bared her mark to them, the white ink shining brightly against her dark skin, "And this? This is MY joint. And if you even THINK about starting a fight, you're going to fucking regret the day you were _born_."

"Oh yeah?" The thugs laughed at her, sneering, "What are you gonna do, little girl?"

The guy never even saw it coming. Angel's fist connected with his jaw like a concrete slab, and her knee slammed into the next guys groin, making him double over, she stepped back and slammed her steel-toed boot into his face, knocking him over. Casey grabbed a chair as the fight began, blocking an attack and swinging the chair like a bat.

Angel turned to Casey, nodding quietly, "As far as I'm concerned, this place is under my protection. I was here first, and they're not going to ruin it."

Casey smiled ruefully as he looked over at Charlie, who had immediately ducked down.

"You alright, old man?"

"I will be." Charlie responded simply, still sweating.

Angel turned to Casey.

"You tell your friends that if they wanna keep following me around, then they have to show their faces. Otherwise, I don't want their help."

"Um, about that… they uh, they aren't exactly normal." Casey didn't know exactly how to explain this.

Angel hissed, "I don't fucking care if they're sensitive about their goddamn looks! I-"

Thee ntrance buzzed again. Angel froze, as did Casey.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me."

"Well, well, well. Lookie who it is, Rock!"

"It's that twerp from the last time we was here!"

"Fuck." Angel hissed.

Casey couldn't agree more. Bebop and Rocksteady stood in front of them. And their attention was fixed with murderous intent on Casey.

"Who's your girlfriend, Jones?" snickered Rocksteady.

Angel barked with disbelief, "YOU FUCKING ASSHOLES DON'T REMEMBER ME?! WHAT THE FUCK ANTON!?"

Bebop gave a double take, his glasses falling clean off his face.

"Bridgette?"

"DON'T fucking call me that!" Angel snarled, "I go by Angel nowadays. And if you know what's good, you'll get the FUCK out of this bar! This is MY fucking territory and you are NOT welcome."

Bebop's face contorted, "You little brat, you don't tell me what to do! And what are you doing with this creep!" He gestured to Casey Jones, "That guy is bad news!"

"No, THIS guy looked after me when you FUCKING DITCHED ME AND NANA!" Angel screamed with fury, "DO YOU EVEN CARE WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?! WHAT'S HAPPENED WITH ME? OF COURSE NOT! YOU SELFISH BASTARD,!"

"I hate to break up the family reunion." Casey cut in dryly, "But what are you doing here? I know we're not exactly on friendly terms, guys, but where the hell have you been?"

"We're not telling you jackshit, pig!" Bebop snarled.

"Oh, that's rich, coming from you!" Casey snickered.

"Alright, that's IT! Let's rumble, Rock!"

The two mutants charged at Casey.

He ducked to the left, Angel vaulting over the bar, she grabbed Charlie and pulled him out the bar, pushing him out the door, she apologized, "Just get somewhere safe! And call the police!"

She ran back in. What met her eyes was enough to stop her in her tracks. Casey had been knocked out, but Bebop and Rocksteady were in the middle of fighting two new players… who were not human.

"What in the name of Mary, Joseph and Buddha?!"

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~

As soon as Angel and the bartender had left, Donatello and Mikey entered the fight, just in time, as Casey was knocked against the wall so hard, he was rendered unconscious.

"That's right, get WRECKED!" Mikey howled, as he took on Bebop, working together with Donatello, they managed to take the upper hand.

"Hey, Rock, let's scram! Before we get in trouble!"

Rocksteady agreed. They weren't even supposed to be here, technically speaking. They had snuck away from the safe house that the Foot had sent them to, and if Ninjara found out that they were gone, there was gonna be hell to pay. So the two larger mutants quickly made their get away.

Donatello grabbed Mikey's arm, as the orange clad ninja went to pursue them, "Let 'em go. I planted a tracker on Rocksteady, so no worries. We'll take care of them later. Let's get Casey to a hospital-"

"Uh, dude? We, um, we may have a problem." Mikey swallowed.

There was Angel. Face to face. No shadows, no distance and looking BOTH of them in the eye simultaneously which was scary enough, but she was also standing between them and Casey.

"What the absolute fuck _are_ you?" She finally spoke, "And if you touch Casey, I will put a fucking dent in your skulls."

"We're not going to hurt him-" Donatello began, when Mikey interjected, "Yeah, he's our friend! We just want to protect him!"

Angel quirked a brow, "Your friend?"

"Yeah! We like to call him Friday, cause of the hockey mask thing." Mikey grinned, while Donatello held up his hands, showing her he meant no harm as he asked, "I have some basic first aid knowledge, can I please check his vitals, so we can determine if he needs to go to the hospital?"

Angel contemplated, glancing over her shoulder at Casey. What a fucking weirdo, making friends with… _what_ ever these guys were.

"Fine. But I'm fucking watching you. One wrong move, and I fucking swear we'll both to go hell." Angel hissed, trying to act braver then she felt. Really. What could she do against them? They were huge, not to mention they could really fight. Hell, they cowed Bebop and Rocksteady, really, what was _she_ gonna do?

Donatello nodded as he approached gingerly and attended to Casey.

"Um, I think we just got off on the wrong foot. Can we start over?"

The guy in the orange asked meekly. Angel gave a half nod and was met with the happiest expression she had ever seen in her entire life.

"AWESOME! I'm Michelangelo, and that's my brother, Donatello, the smartest guy I've ever met!" Mikey broke the awkward silence, giving her a grin, he added, "Um, thanks for, like, not screaming and stuff. Although you did kinda yell at us but that's cool! Better then, uh, screaming and then fainting in fear, right?"

Angel rubbed her temples, "This is just what I need."

Donatello stood up and apologized, "We're sorry if we scared you. But, Casey's our friend, and he didn't seem to be handling the fight on his own very well. We both agreed it was necessary to intercede."

"That's not- That's fine, he's my friend too- Wait." Realization settled in. Angel's eyes glinted.

"It was _you_. YOU are the ones who have been stalking me this past week!"

The two brothers winced as they glanced at each other

"Not stalking! No, no, we're not stalkers! We're uh, it was more like, uh, it was more like, um, a little help Donnie?" Mikey frantically ran his mouth as he protested.

"We were escorting you, at Casey's request." Donatello threw in diplomatically.

Angel frowned, "And last night? Which one a' you bozos trashed the tattoo parlor?"

"Uh, yeah, that was me. I'm sorry." Mikey admitted. "It's my fault you got the tattoo." He added miserably.

"Oh man, Leo's gonna kill us." Donatello groaned to himself.

At this moment, police sirens began sounding.

"Meet me at my place in an hour, do you understand?" Angel growled, "I _know_ you know where I live. We got some things to discuss."

"Uh-"

"Go. I'll take care of Casey."

Angel cut them off and turned her back on them, dialing Charlie to let him know that the fight was over and that there was actually minimal damage to the bar.

Donatello and Michelangelo disappeared, as the cops came in, surveying the scene.

"Of course Jones is here." One of them muttered without a hint of surprise.

Outside on the roof, Don and Mike were having an intense argument.

"Mikey, we screwed up enough tonight, we can't-"

"Exactly dude! We're past the point of no return! Besides, who knows what Angel will do, now that she knows about us! We have to make sure that we're on the same side!"

Donatello sighed intensely. Mikey was right, and unfortunately, they could gather more info, potentially, if they went to Angel's apartment… or it could be a trap. But that seemed unlikely, given what they knew about her, and how their meeting had gone. She just seemed very upset by events overall, which was totally natural and reasonable.

"Fine. Let's go. But I swear Mikey, if you're using this as an excuse to flirt, I will tase your ass!"

"Ok, ok, sheesh." Mikey muttered.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

When Casey awoke, it was to Angel's deadpan face as she made room for the paramedics. The gang members had been hauled off and Charlie being questioned as to what happened in his establishment.

"Angel! What happened? Where's Bebop and Rocksteady?" Casey asked groggily. His head was pounding!

"I'll tell you later, Jones. And believe you me, you have a _lot_ of explaining to do." She growled as she stood and let the paramedics do their job.

Angel gave a brief statement about the events of the night before taking off, leaving her boss to answer the majority of the questions.

She didn't walk home; she ran. She didn't know whether or not she would be followed, and she wasn't going to wait around for more Purple Dragons. Hopefully, word wouldn't get back to Mr. Hun about the events that had transpired here. Climbing the stairs, she opened her door, slightly unnerved when she saw the giant ass… things that had fought her brother and his friend.

"You came. Good."

Angel closed the door and locked it behind her. She stood a distance from them, unsure of the decision she had made to meet them here in her home.

"Look, we're sorry if we caused you trouble." The one with the glasses spoke. It struck her as slightly funny, he was taller then his companion, but had a nerdy appearance.

 _Buff nerd. That's an oxymoron if I ever heard one._

"I'm not even sure where to begin with you guys. You're very obviously not human, but you don't seem to be trouble makers like my goddamn brother and his goddamn friend." Angel grumbled.

"What? No! no, no, no, we are definitely not on the same page with those clowns!" Mikey protested.

"We can tell you where we came from, but you have to swear that you won't tell anyone." Donatello, "Casey knows our secret, and, actually, so do some people in the NYPD."

Angel sat down.

"Alright. Let's hear it."

So Donatello explained as best he could, with some interjections from his brother, on their origins, their dealings with Sack Industries and the Foot Clan, their brief stint in stopping an alien invasion the previous year and now their involvement with the Purple Dragons.

"So, we're just… trying our best to use our… disposition, to protect our city." Donatello concluded.

"Yeah, and for the record, we were never stalking you because we're pervs or anything. It was purely, um, for protection…reasons" Mikey added.

Angel chuffed with slight amusement, dryly noting, "Look, I appreciate the sentiment, but I can handle myself. In case you didn't notice, which I think you must have, I'm a fucking bouncer at a bar."

"We, uh, we noticed." Donatello then asked, "So what are you going to do?"

Angel stood to her feet and cracked her knuckles.

"Look, I don't know you guys. But if you really are against the Purple Dragons, maybe we can help each other. Cause I don't want to be connected to them any longer than I have to be. My brother got involved with them and it brought nothing but a lot of blood and tears on my family. I'll be damned if I stay in their clutches."

"Why do they want you so bad?" Donatello asked, "I mean, I'm not saying you're not a valuable player. But is there anything other then your connection to Bebop?"

"I'm not really sure. But I know for a fact they're using a friend against me." Angel grumbled. She shot them a dirty look, "But then again, you probably already know that, don't ya?"

"Yeah, Irma, right? We've been keeping an eye on her too. She lives next door to April O'Neil." Mikey nodded, innocent of the dirty look she gave them and answering honestly.

"The chick that saved you when you were… normal turtles?" Angel quirked her eyebrow. What a weird, weird, small world.

"Yes." Donatello nodded. "We were concerned about her safety, which is how we first came to realize that Irma was…" He paused, unsure if Angel already knew Irma's situation.

Angel's eyes glinted at his hesitation.

"Irma was what?"

Donatello grimaced, "She's being abused by her boyfriend, Jackson Reid."

"I FUCKING KNEW IT!" Angel snarled to herself in intense fury, "I'LL FUCKING KILL HIM!"

"Whoa, whoa, don't worry about it! Casey's actually trying to get dirt on Jackson to get him locked up!" Mikey tried to calm her.

Angel looked up, her expression dark.

"Good. Maybe I can help with that, although I still would rather kill him. What else do you know?"

"Jackson's working for the Purple Dragons, he's a dirty cop. Casey told us that he found out how Irma got involved with Jackson. She was briefly involved with the Purple Dragons, but was going to blow the whistle on them for something. They framed a known scammer, Harry Johnson, for nearly beating Irma to death. Jackson was the cop on the scene and stayed with her throughout her recovery, which would explain why she hasn't left him." Donatello explained as briefly as he could.

"He was probably the asshole that nearly killed her… But why? What were they doing?" Angel's eyes were narrowed, staring off into space. She had lost touch with Irma after she moved away.

"Whatever it was, she never testified. So it worked. The only reason we know all this is because Casey questioned Harry personally. And it sounds like he was extremely tight-lipped about it to begin with." Donatello added thoughtfully.

Mikey was quiet. In the face of Angel, he had gone uncharacteristically shy. Guilt ate at him the more he looked at her dragon tattoo. Angel finally noticed him staring at the tattoo and quirked her brow, remembering his apology.

She took a deep breath," Look, Mikey, was it? It ain't your fault I got this mark. So stop blaming yourself. That's not going to fucking help anyone."

"I know, I just-"

"IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT. But, if you want to make it up to me, you can help me take down these bastards that hurt my family." She quirked a half-hearted grin at him.

Mikey's heart went pitter-patter at her smile and he grinned back, nodding, "You betcha, dudette! The Mikester is on the job!"

"I'll give you a number you can contact us at. We're going to have to get home soon. We're definitely on board with helping you in any way we can. I can speak for the others."

"Oh, yeah, the others." Angel could hardly believe that there were more of these guys. It was weird enough that her brother had become a mutant monstrosity, but to know that there were others like Donatello and Michelangelo was super strange to her. However, her gut wasn't hollering about their intentions, and she had learned to trust her gut, so she put her trust in them. Cautiously put, but put nonetheless.

"Yeah. Our brothers, Leonardo and Raphael and our father, Splinter." Donatello nodded.

"Gotcha." Angel stood up and went to the kitchen, pulling out a sandwich baggie, she went back and handed it to Mikey. It was full of his cowrie shell beads.

"I think these belong to you, huh?"

"Yeah! Thanks!" He grinned.

"Yeah, yeah, just don't make a mess in my apartment again. I'll see you guys later."

"Bye!" Donatello and Michelangelo slipped out the window on the fire escape and faded away into the night, astonishing Angel with how silently they moved.

"What the fuck have I actually gotten myself into?" She muttered in disbelief.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Chloe awoke the next morning feeling like shit. Her body ached and her mind was foggy.

"Oh god, not again." She murmured as she forced herself up. She didn't want to go running today. Everything in her body and mind felt weak. Chloe gritted her teeth and forced her body to move.

"No sleeping in for you!" She grumbled.

25 minutes later, she was walking out of the apartment, her mouth set in a grim line.

Her scowl grew as Irma's apartment door opened and Jackson stepped out. He smiled toothily as he caught sight of her.

"Oh hey there, _Chloe._ "

She froze, turning to look him, mistrust and disgust churning in her stomach and bleeding through her neutral expression. That was exactly the reaction he had hoped for, and casually, he took a few steps towards her as he spoke, "I just wanted to say that I'm glad you've become friends with Irma. She needs that in her life, you know? Hell, I can't believe you've got her practicing self-defense!"

"You... you were on the roof last night!" Chloe growled, fear giving way to anger, "What kind of sick pervert are you?"

"Ah, c'mon, I'm no pervert. I was just concerned when I got home and my girlfriend wasn't there."

Chloe squared up, her shoulders loose, her expression stern and full of disgust.

"Let me tell you something, _Jackson_ , I don't like you. At all. I've known men _exactly_ like you. And if you think you can _scare_ me, you've got another thing coming."

"Aw, poor Chloe." Jackson snickered as he crossed his arms, he leaned forward, sneering, "It doesn't matter what you teach her. Irma will always be MINE. Nothing you do or say will change that."

"We'll see about that, pervert." Chloe snarled as she walked away, heading for the stairs, she didn't give him the satisfaction of looking back.

Jackson laughed to himself. Yep. She was going down.

Hopefully today.

This very morning.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Leonardo was on watch, waiting for Chloe to appear. Raphael was snoring softly. They'd taken shifts throughout the night, one brother keeping watch for an hour and a half while the other grabbed some rest. Leo shook Raph awake as Chloe emerged.

He hadn't seen any sign of the lurker who'd followed Chloe and stalked April and her roommate throughout the day.

"I'll take the other side, you keep an eye on things from here. If she gets tailed, we need to take them out _quietly."_ Leo instructed.

Raph snorted, muttering, "Yeah, yeah, I get it. _Quietly._ I'll give you boost, alright?"

Leo grinned, "Thanks, Raph!"

With a running leap, Leo shot into the air, jumping into Raph's cupped hands, he was literally hurled forward. Throwing his body forward into a roll, he flipped through the air, landing with a roll onto the roof across the street. Raphael was already running. Keeping an eye out as Chloe ran. She wasn't going very fast, but her brisk jog was steady, and every now and then, she would move into a short sprint. Needless to say, it was extremely easy for the two ninjas to keep an eye on her.

To the brothers' surprise, no one bothered the jogging girl. The sun was really starting to come up by the time she returned to the building, and still, nothing had happened.

Once they were sure she had made it back safely to the apartment, Leo and Raph slipped back underground, each racing the other home.

"Weird… I had expected something to happen." Raphael grumped. Leo was put off by the lack of action as well. When they had eavesdropped on Jackson, he had made it sound like Chloe would be dealt with immediately.

When they arrived home, Donatello and Mikey were just coming back as well.

"Any action?" Raphael asked.

Mikey and Donatello glanced at each other with grimaces, and Leonardo palmed his forehead, muttering, "Now what?"

"Ok, look, it wasn't our fault!" Mikey protested immediately, but Donatello cut him off, "I prefer to wait until we can explain what happened to Master Splinter too."

"Fine." Leo shook his head.

Raphael was on edge and snarled,

"We HAD an opportunity to thrash Jackson, but Leo decided it was best to let Casey deal with him."

"Hey, where _is_ Sensei?" Leo asked, looking around and noticing that their master was not in his customary place.

"I am here, my sons," Splinter emerged unexpectedly from behind them, causing Mikey to shriek. The others looked at him and he laughed awkwardly, "Heh, heh, uh… hi sensei."

"Sensei!" Leo bowed, puzzled, "Where were you?"

"I have some grave news, my sons. Come, let us sit, and discuss last night's events, for I have a feeling you have news as well."

Once they were sat, Leo and Raph made their report, Raphael still upset that they hadn't been able to fight.

"I see. So Jackson is making his move, starting with April's new roommate. This is troubling indeed. More troubling is the information discovered by Mr. Jones." Splinter frowned, turning his gaze to Donnie and Mikey, "And you, my sons? Both of you seem troubled."

Donatello and Michelangelo were unsure how to proceed with their story, so Donatello began by saying, "Casey showed up at the Bar Angel works at. They were talking, and…-"

"BEBOP AND ROCKSTEADY ARE BACK!" Mikey blurted.

"Wait, what?!" Leonardo and Raphael were all ears as Donatello went into detail of their encounter, adding, "I planted a tracker on Rocksteady, so we'll be able to find them, anywhere within a 50 mile radius."

"That's good, well done, Donnie." Leo sighed with relief.

"Also, Angel saw us." Mikey added, slightly starry eyed.

"Wait, what?!" Leo and Raph both exclaimed.

"We didn't have a choice, Leo. Casey was in trouble, and so was Angel. Um, she told us to meet her at her apartment, and we told her everything. She wants to work with us to bring down the Purple Dragons."

Splinter stroked his beard, feeling unsurprised.

"You should have been more careful, my sons. However, what happened cannot be undone, and our ally is safe. Not only that, but it seems we have gained yet another ally."

"So what happened with you last night, Sensei? You don't look like you slept." Leo asked with some concern.

Splinter chuckled, "Indeed, we had a visitor, and after that encounter, I couldn't find it in myself to sleep."

"What, wait, what do you mean _a visitor_?" Donatello looked up sharply. His alarms and security procedures were still intact, nothing had been tripped, and Splinter's voice did not indicate that the visitor was a friend.

Splinter took out what looked like a business card and handed it to Donatello. He had left it behind on his excursion, picking it up upon his return.

"My sons… The Foot Clan is returning. And they have new mutants." Splinter told them about the Fox ninja, her cryptic message and her offer of amity.

When he was done, Raphael stood abruptly to his feet, his face flushed and his breath ragged, as he growled, "NO. NO WAY. Please tell me you told that bitch no!"

"Raph! Language!" Leo scolded, but Splinter held up his hand, looking at Raphael with understanding and patience, he replied, "I did indeed decline her offer, Raphael. There is nothing that would entice me to ever join their ranks."

"Did she say anything about Bebop and Rocksteady? Or the Shredder?" Donatello asked in curiosity.

"No, but she did mention his daughter." Splinter chuckled.

That took a moment to sink in.

Mikey's face scrunched as he asked, "Wait, you mean… Shredder… HAS A KID?!"

"That's just not right." Raphael gagged, looking more then a little green.

"The Fox told me that their plan is to retake New York before the Purple Dragons have a chance to come to full strength, and to leave it in the charge of Shredder's heir, Oroku Niko."

"So now we got TWO snakes to deal with?" Raphael growled.

Leo held up a hand, " This might be advantageous, Raph. If they fight each other, it's possible they may do each other in. We may not have to be involved."

"Leo, I think you know that's a load of bull." Raphael snarked, "Innocent people are gonna get caught in the crossfire."

"Be that as it may, our first priority is to find a new home." Splinter cut in, before his sons could begin to fight.

"Wait, what?" the four looked shocked and Mikey began to protest, but Splinter continued, in a firm, though resigned tone.

"The Foot Clan knows where we live. They have been here before, and we foolishly stayed. We must move as quickly as possible, so as to remain off their radar. Which is why I didn't sleep. I was scouting the tunnels for a new home. I think I may have stumbled upon a good place. Come and see."

Splinter turned and his four sons followed.

They ran through the tunnels, further then their normal territory, as Splinter led them to what he believed could serve as a new shelter.

The tunnels branched, suddenly opening up, and Donatello gasped softly, as they emerged from the cramped tunnels into an abandoned Subway. It was a spacious cavern, with very old, antique trains, and even different rooms with stairs leading to a second floor.

"This… This is AWESOME!" Mikey grinned excitedly, "When did you find this, Sensei?"

"It was years ago, back when I was still scouting out routes for an escape, in case we were ever discovered. But in the excitement of all that has happened, I forgot this place… until now." Splinter smiled fondly as his sons began taking leaps and bounds, exploring every inch of the new space.

"I could totally network a new security system here!" Donatello whistled as he examined the tracks, antique trains and the old technology that had gathered decades and decades of dust.

"Sensei, we'll begin moving immediately!" Leo grinned, looking at all the space excitedly.

"Very good, my son. Once we have reestablished ourselves, then, I believe it will be time to take action." Splinter said firmly.

Raphael grinned at this, smashing his fist into his palm.

"About damn time."

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

"Is that her?"

"Yup." The two conspirators watched from across the street as April O'Neil walked briskly, followed by a shorter young woman.

"This should be easy." The blonde woman smirked as she cracked her knuckles, "That bitch has been running for far too long. It's time to shut her up for good!"

"Now, now, Alicia. We need to use caution, or we may just end up like our previous agents." Alicia's male companion, Dante, smiled indulgently as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "We've found her, and now, there's nowhere for her to run."

"What's our next move?" Alicia asked impatiently.

"We wait and see. She doesn't know that we're here. This will be easy." Dante replied confidently.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8

April was on edge. Casey had called her and told her about the events of last night. The run-in he had with the Purple Dragons AND Bebop and Rocksteady, the fact that Angel had seen Mikey and Donnie, not to mention the fact that he still hadn't gathered any solid evidence against Jackson.

April bit her lip worriedly. She had scheduled a few interviews with some potential witnesses but at this point, she was really wasn't sure that she wanted Chloe to tag along. Leo had warned her that Chloe had gotten on Jackson's bad side, and there was likely to be some fallout from the young woman's decision to befriend Irma.

"Oh damn it!" April swore, as she and Chloe arrived at their subway too late. The train had already left.

"We're gonna be late. They're gonna murder me!"

"Aw, they wouldn't! You're not late very often, right?" Chloe tried to reassure her friend.

April laughed shakily, "Not… _very_ often, no."

At this moment, there loud shots fired in the subway tunnel, inciting screams and a general panic.

"NO ONE MOVE!" came the throaty roar of someone who had the confidence of a one-man army.

Chloe shoved April behind her, as several masked thugs briskly began to line people up against the subway wall, her eyes hardening as fear thumped painfully in her gut, along with something else. Her palms were itching harder then ever and it took all her self-control to keep her self from taking off her gloves.

"CASH. NOW!" Chloe swallowed as the victims lined up nervously began to dig in their pockets and purses.

One very young teen was shaking. She hadn't reached into her pocket at all.

"I said CASH." One of the thugs stopped in front of her, digging his gun into her shoulder.

"I… I don't have any." She sobbed.

"BULL SHIT." He snarled, raising his hand to pistol-whip her.

Without thinking, Chloe moved, shoving herself in front of the girl. The gun came down, smashing into her face. Chloe bit her lip, forcing herself to stay silent, allowing only a gasp of pain to rush from her mouth, as she straightened, holding out all the cash she had.

"She _said_ she doesn't have any. Do you honestly think she would risk her life to try to save a few measly dollars to ride the subway?" Chloe sneered, oddly unafraid of the gun in her face. Well, no, she was fucking terrified, but faking bravery was getting easier and easier these days.

"You arrogant little bitch," The thug snarled, hitting Chloe again. This time, Chloe went down, gasping as the breath was knocked out of her.

"What's going on here, Patrick?" A giant of a thug walked over, balefully glaring at his compatriot, who swallowed, "Boss! Th-this bitch disrespected me."

"You pathetic piece of shit." The thug snarled. "Take her cash and regroup NOW."

Chloe had stood up by this time, still holding out her money.

The thug took it, glaring at her, as he walked away.

The Boss stood in front of the hostages, smirking as he proclaimed, "You all have probably heard of us by now. We're the Purple Dragons! This is OUR subway tunnel, and we don't tolerate freeloaders. You best bring your cash, if you want to escape with your lives every time you ride this subway. Got it? And don't bother calling the police either! They can't do SHIT to protect ya!"

Everyone nodded, trembling as the gang left.

April rushed over to Chloe, beyond furious.

"What the hell were you thinking!?"

Chloe didn't answer, turning to the younger girl behind her.

"Are you ok, sweetie?"

"Y-yeah." The girl replied numbly, shaking uncontrollably as tears came to her eyes, "They- he was gonna-"

"It's okay." Chloe hugged her, "You're gonna be ok."

April decided against scolding Chloe, at least until later.

She whipped out her phone and called the police.

Well, it looked like she had her first story. Time to start reporting.

8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8~8

Mikey yawned as he finished moving all his stuff to the new home. There was still plenty to move, and Donatello had made it clear that he would need help moving his equipment. But Mikey was operating on less then half an hour of sleep.

He dropped onto his mattress, feeling exhausted, when his phone suddenly beeped.

"Prolly just Leo nagging me to get back and help them with the security stuff." Mikey grumbled to himself, glancing at the number. He sat up rather suddenly when he realized it wasn't Leo. It was Angel's number.

"Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!" Mikey took a deep breath. Ok. This was it. Time to turn on the charm!

He pressed answer and excitedly brought the phone to his face, butterflies fluttering in his stomach as he spoke.

"Yo, what's up, angel-cakes?"

"… Please, just Angel is good. I hate cake."

"Oh. Ok. Um, are you ok?" Mikey heard the stress in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just really… fucking tired." She replied, "Look, I, uh, _fuck,_ I wondered if you guys saw the news."

"No, actually, we've been busy. Plus, I've been asleep." Mikey yawned, "You know, catching a solid half-hour."

"Yikes." Angel chuckled, "Sounds like my sleep schedule."

"Yeah? So what's up? Did you miss the gorgeous sound of my voice?" He flirted.

"pfft, you wish, dude."  
Angel snarked, "But seriously, I, uh, I wanted to meet the rest of your family. I talked to Casey, and he really, really believes in you guys. If I'm going to get out of this fucking mess alive, then, I'm gonna need all the help I can get. I have information and I know you guys have information, too. Ergo, it's time to… to team up."

Mikey was mouthing a _thank you_ to the heavens as he fist-pumped, responding audibly, "Yeah, totally! That sounds like a great idea! So, uh, did you happen to call Donnie?"

"I didn't. Um, I get the feeling I make your nerdy brother _uncomfortable._ Plus, I wanted to you in particular. You seem a lot more outgoing, and, uh, a little less likely to take what I say personally. Plus, your brother is _hella_ big and I don't wanna accidentally get on his bad side. Not that you aren't also _hella_ big, you're just a lot more… approachable?"

"Oh, Donnie's a freaking push-over! You don't gotta worry about _him_ at _all_! He's super nice! A little sensitive sometimes, but really! The nicest guy ever!" Mikey grinned, "Now, my brother Raph on the other hand,-"

"Who the hell are you talking to, shell-fer-brains?"

Mikey screamed and dropped the phone as said brother suddenly snarled from right behind him.

"Oh hey Raph! I'm uh, just talking to, uh, to myself! Yeah, uh-HEY! Give me my phone!" Mikey protested as Raphael caught the phone and looked at it curiously.

Raphael kept Mikey at bay with hand while squinting at the number.

"Who the hell is this?" he growled into the phone.

"You must be Raph." Came a dry, female voice, "This is Angel, you know, the chick you and your bros have been stalking. So don't get fucking fresh with me, pervert."

Raphael actually blushed as he looked at Mikey, who grinned sheepishly.

"It was very nice to speak to you, now can I talk to Mikey?" Angel asked in a voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Hell, ya don't need _my_ permission, princess." He growled, shoving the phone back at Mikey. If Mikey wasn't so focused on the phone, he would have noticed that Raphael was blushing heavily.

"So, that was Raph, huh?" Angel asked.

"Yeah! He's, uh, he's usually a lot meaner than that." Mikey replied, scratching the back of his head as he looked over at his hot-headed brother, who picked up some boxes and took them out of the room.

"So, I'm supposed to meet with Casey, over at April's apartment this evening. Ya'll gonna be there?"

"Uh, we-we can't exactly go over to April's. She has a new roommate who doesn't know about us."

"I see… Huh. Welp, I'll talk to Casey, maybe there's a way we can get her roommate out of the apartment for a while."

"W-wait. Wait, I think I got a better idea!" Mikey grinned, "Let me call Casey and April. Um, can, can I call you back after?"

"Sure, dude. Better yet, just text me. I'm at the gym right now, about to go whoop my best-friend's ass in a sparring match. Catch you later."

"Y-yeah, catch ya later, angel." Mikey replied as she hung up. He sighed dramatically, clutching the phone to his chest.

"Oh I'm in looooove!"

"So that was Angel, huh?" Raphael grumbled.

"Yeah dude! She wants to team up!" Mikey said excitedly, "And dude! She totally digs me!"

"Oh my god, would you calm the hell down?!" Raphael groaned as Mikey started literally flipping out, doing handsprings around the Lair," SHE LIKES ME! HOLY SHELL, SHE CALLED ME! SHE COULD'A CALLED DONNIE, BUT SHE CALLED ME! WHOOHOO! HELL YEAH DUDE!"

Raphael groaned, putting a tired hand to his forehead. The idiot was going to be insufferable to live with now.

"What's all the commotion for?"

Leo and Donnie had just made it back with another load of technology from the old Lair.

Raph didn't get a chance to answer and Mikey did a triple backflip through the air, yahoo'ing and landing right in front of his brothers, "Dude, Angel is totally into me!"

"God, someone kill me now." Raphael groaned.

Leo raised a brow bone as Donatello cocked his head, "Did Angel call?"

"YEAH DUDE! She called _me! ME!"_ Mikey grinned giddily.

"What'd she say?" Leo asked.

"She said she feels comfortable talkin' to me! And she was totally cool! Dude, I love her!"

"Don't ya think it's a bit soon to be professin' your love, Mikey? She's only talked to you twice." Leo crossed his arms. Mikey stuck his tongue out at Leo, laughing raucously, "Ha! You're just jealous! She totally fell for my good-looks and charms!"

"We're not gonna get anything that actually makes sense out of him." Raphael grumbled.

"mikey, mikey, focus, what else did Angel tell you? Did she mention anything about Casey? Or Irma?"

"Oh! Dude she wants to team up with us!" Mikey giggled inanely.

"Team up?"

"yeah! Exchange information and junk! She wants us to help her save her friend and take down the purple dragons!" Mikey grinned, practically bouncing off the walls at this point, "We're finally gonna get somewhere guys!"

Leo exchanged glances with Raph and Donnie, as he processed the load of information Mikey and flung haphazardly at them.

"Hey, I gotta April and Casey! She's gonna meet with them and she wants us there!"

"wait, really?" Donatello asked, surprised. Angel had said she would be in contact with, but he didn't realize it would be this soon.

Mikey was no longer listening, as he called April first, still giggling with excitement. The other three stared at him quietly, Leo muttering to the other two, "This is gonna be hell, isn't it?"

"No duh, fearless." Raphael grumped, "Is that the last of fit?"

"Almost." Donatello admitted.

At this moment, Mikey had hung up, his face a little more sober as he looked at them.

"Guys… They lined people up in the subway today. They… April and Chloe were there."

"WHAT?"

"Are they ok?"

"Who are you talking about?"

"The Purple Dragons dude! A group of them robbed people in the Subway, and April and Chloe were there! She wasn't able to stay on the phone cause she's reporting… Angel had asked if we'd seen the news."

"Let's get this new Lair set up. The sooner the better." Leo said grimly. They needed to set up shop _fast._

* * *

Heh, hopefully things will pick up even more now.

Bye for now and thanks for reading!


End file.
